The Platypus and the Rabbit
by Nightflame203
Summary: I'm Courtney the rabbit, Dennis the rogue rabbit's daughter. My mate is Michael the platypus, who just happens to be Perry the platypus' son. Who our fathers are complicates things enough, but then my mother comes into the picture... Perry/OC, Dennis/OC, OC/OC, rated T because i'm paranoid. Can be AU if you want. Third story in my Three Platypi and an Evil Organization series
1. Chapter 1

**It tis be the sequel to Rotten to the Core! The third story in my Three Platypi and an Evil Organization Series! It is The Platypus and the Rabbit!**

 **And, yes, I know what you're thinking. "But she already has a story called The Platypus and the Bear!" Well, first off, thumbs up to my originality, right? xP xP xP Secondly, I figured it made sense. Since the platypus being referred to in The Platypus and the Bear is Perry, it only makes sense for the platypus in The Platypus and the Rabbit to be his son, Micahel ;) ;)**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

Fighting. Even office agents had to deal with fighting. And, sadly, that's where I was right then. In the middle of a fight. Dr. Diminutive and Prof. Rodenstein had come out of hiding and teamed up, and that's who I was stuck combating.

Luckily, I wasn't alone. Mom, Dad, and Courtney were helping me. Emily would have been, but she had been asleep in bed when we were called in for the mission. Courtney wasn't an agent, but she certainly had a fair share of fighting experience, so she filled in for my little sister.

Dad waved me, Mom, and Courtney over. "Pixie, you and I will go for Rodney." Dad looked at me. "Michael, you and Courtney take Dr. Diminutive."

My mate and I nodded and raced for the white-haired midget. Oh, didn't I mention? Courtney and I became mates a few months after she joined the right side. We've been mates for about eight months now.

Courtney pulled Dr. Diminutive's ray gun out of his hands and tossed it to me. The scientist ran to me, and I tossed the gun back to my mate. We ended up playing Monkey in the Middle with a ray gun and Dr. Diminutive as the monkey for the next couple minutes.

Finally, the scientist gave up trying to get his gun back and turned to fight me. Great. I looked him steadily in the eye- it was weird that he was only an inch or so taller than me.

He scowled and aimed a punch at me. I wasn't fast enough. The punch hit the lower left side of my chest- worst place possible. I winced and stumbled backwards in pain, tripping over my legs and falling onto the floor. That was a strong punch to my weakest area. Not good.

Mom, Dad, and Courtney must have noticed, because I saw Dr. Diminutive fall to the ground unconscious, and Prof. Rodenstein was forced to copy him a few seconds later.

Courtney ran up to me first. "Michael! Are you alright?" She helped me sit back up.

I rubbed my head with my paw. "Yeah."

My mate crossed her arms in disbelief. "You fell onto the floor, cringing in pain. What exactly caused that?"

"I tripped over myself."

"And before that?"

I grimaced, feeling a wave of pain hit where I was punched. "Dr. Diminutive got my weak spot."

Mom, who had come over with Dad only seconds after Courtney, obviously wanted to help, but she realized the rabbit had it all under control. Mom instead pulled out her phone and called someone. "We've got Rodney and Diminutive down; you can come pick them up."

 **(Courtney's POV)**

I gently lifted up my mate's fur and gasped. Michael had a extensive red laceration all the way from the edge of his body to the middle of his chest. It was slowly trickling the occasional drop of blood. "What happened?! There's no way a punch did THAT to you!"

"It was when we were still in training," Michael explained, wincing again.

My eyes widened in realization. "The whip got you bad," I murmured.

"Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Dr. Bloodpudding helped before it became fatal. It's just been a scar."

"Yeah, well, that punch opened it up again," I responded, still staring at my mate's injury. How had I never noticed it? I had been living with him- sleeping in bed with him- for EIGHT months! And I had missed it?

I heard Prof. Rodenstein moan and turned to look at Perry and Pixie. Pixie had an obvious look of worry on her face; Perry looked calm, like he was used to stuff like this. "We need to get moving," I said, noticing that an O.W.C.A. car was somehow already over here. I looked at Perry. "Have a first-aid kit I could use?"

Perry nodded. "Of course. It's in the rocketcar."

 _Perfect!_ I turned back to Michael. "Can you walk to the car, or do you need the car brought here?"

"I can make it." I helped my mate slowly stand up.

Perry sighed and walked over to me. "He's got his mother's stubbornness," he muttered quietly. "I'm going to bring the car a bit closer."

 **(Michael's POV)**

Once we all were in the rocketcar, Dad handed Courtney the first-aid kit and lifted the car off the ground, directing it for home.

Courtney began washing my wound up, and Mom turned around, her eyes glinting with worry. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be doing this, Courtney? Maybe we should take Michael to Katrina's office..."

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," my mate said calmly. "I've had training."

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N, right?" Dad asked, not even glancing back. Courtney's silence answered him. "I'm surprised they actually had a medical class."

"It was in case one of your teammates was hurt," Courtney replied, lightly dabbing at my incision with a wet towel. "I was top in class."

"Oh, that's right!" I realized. I winced as Courtney's towel touched my slightly re-opened scar again. "I forgot that was one of the classes I didn't make the top in."

Courtney grinned. "You made second. Believe it or not, you're not the best at everything," she joked. I chuckled then grimaced again.

"All you need is a small band-aid to stop the bleeding," Courtney murmured. "But that wouldn't work because of how long your scar is."

"Could it go without?" Mom asked.

"In most cases that would work," Courtney responded, "but if this keeps bleeding, it won't stop. That's how large the gash is. It's only trickling, but, slowly and surely, it could be just as a fatal as it was when he first got it."

Dad must have turned the autopilot on because he turned around. "I think I have those wrap around bandages somewhere in there. Those'll work, right?"

Courtney nodded. "Yeah, they should." She pulled out a pack of white bandages. "Here they are!"

My mate began wrapping them around me, and Dad turned back to face the wheel. I looked up at the sky and remembered it was night; with everything that had happened, I had forgotten.

Before I knew it, Courtney was done, and we were back home. "Let's get to bed," Mom yawned.

My heart dropped as I remembered the stairs. The stairs that Courtney and I had to climb to get to our bed. The stairs I probably wouldn't be able to climb in my current condition.

Courtney must have noticed my expression because she said, "I'm not sure Michael can climb the stairs tonight. He'll have to sleep downstairs, and I'll sleep with him."

"Well," Dad mused, "Little-Michael still sleeps in the living room, but there is that couch by the T.V. I think that's alright."

Once I was inside, I flopped on my back onto the light green couch. And immediately regretted it. Another wave of pain from my wound washed over me. I groaned and closed my eyes. It would be a long night.

 **(Perry's POV)**

Pixie shot a glance at Michael. "Are you sure you'll be alright down here, sweetheart?"

I shot my mate a look, hoping she could glean what I was trying to say. _Pixie, he's not a little kid anymore._

Pixie sighed and looked at the ground. "Yeah."

I smiled sympathetically and pulled her into a hug. When we broke apart, I kissed her cheek. She smiled and yawned. "Let's get to bed," I murmured.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

After Perry and Pixie said good-night and went upstairs, I sat down next to Michael. His eyes were closed, and his head was resting on the arm of the couch. "Michael, before you fall asleep, I need to check something."

My mate's eyelids fluttered open. "Kay."

I placed my paws on the far left side of Michael's chest, directly across from the scar. "I just need to see how bad the pain is." I pressed on Michael's chest. "Does it hurt when I do this?"

Michael grimaced. "Yes."

That was not good. _It's INCHES away from the scar._ "Do you know why?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then..." I waited nervously for my mate's answer.

"It's because you're pushing so hard."

I immediately lifted my paws off his chest, winced, then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Michael chuckled. "It's okay."

I kissed my mate and laid down halfway next to him, halfway on top of him. My head was resting a bit higher on his chest than where my paws had been. "Does this hurt you?"

"No."

"Good." I carefully laid my right paw on his chest and closed my eyes.

I could almost hear the smile in Michael's voice. "Good night, Courtney."

"Night," I murmured, falling asleep.

 **(...)**

I woke up to a rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach. I groaned and sat up, being careful not to wake Michael. He didn't even stir.

Once I was sitting, I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach. It was gone in an instant. I waited to see if it would happen again. It did. That thrilling tingle.

I placed my paws on my stomach. There! There it was again! And this time it wasn't just a tingle, it felt almost like...a push to my stomach.

Quietly, I stood up and walked outside. I felt my stomach again. That feeling was almost like a...a kick.

My eyes widened in realization, and I laughed. Just to make sure, I waited another three minutes.

The tingle came again. It was true! I noiselessly opened the door back up and sat on the couch again, gently shaking my mate awake. "Michael."

 **(Michael's POV)**

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the clock. 2:34 A.M. _Great_ , I thought, _I haven't even gotten two hours of sleep yet._ I spotted Courtney grinning down at me, so I sat up, cringing when I felt a bout of pain hit. "What is it, Courtney? It's 2:30 in the morning, and we got to bed about 12:50."

"I know, sorry," Courtney apologized, still beaming. I hadn't ever seen her that happy before, and THAT was saying something, counting the fact I had known her my whole life. "I just really wanted to tell you this before everyone else was up and awake, so we got a bit of privacy."

I smiled. "Tell me what?"

Courtney took my paws in hers and looked me in the eye. "Michael, I'm pregnant."

 ***tries to stifle a sob but fails* MICHAEL'S ALL GROWN UP! IT WAS JUST May (2016) THAT I HAD BEEN WRITING FOUR YEAR-OLD LITTLE BABY HIM D: D: D:**

 **But, honestly, I love grown-up Michael, even though it's sad… :'( :'(**

 **And you haven't read Three Platypi and an Evil Organization or Rotten to the Core, so you don't have a clue what's going on? No problem ;P Everything shall be explained in future chapters ;P ;P**


	2. Chapter 2

**A couple famous characters from the series come in this chapter! :D**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

It took me a minute to fully process what my mate told me; it was, after all, 2:30 A.M. "Wait... You're PREGNANT?"

Courtney nodded, still beaming. But it was early in the morning, and my face apparently was not quite with the program because her smile fell. "That is good, right?"

"Of course!" I grinned- finally, my face caught up- and pulled my mate forward and into a kiss.

When we broke apart, Courtney sighed and leaned her head against my chest. "We're gonna be parents in a month."

"Oh boy," I muttered, feeling my heartbeat speed up.

Courtney sensed it, too. "Hey, don't worry. You're gonna be a great dad."

I chuckled a little. "And you'll be a great mom." Courtney just scoffed while I paused. "I guess we should wait until everyone's awake to tell them."

"Yeah, Emily would never forgive you if you woke her up at this time- whether you had a good reason or not."

My mate and I laughed quietly. "Good night, sweetheart," I murmured.

I closed my eyes, Courtney gently pressed into my fur.

 **(...)**

Arguing was what I woke up to. "Annie, I was playing with that!" Little-Michael.

"You were eating!" Annie.

"Yeah, but I was going to play with it after!"

"If you two keep that up, neither of you get the toy!" Then that... That would be Lydia.

I yawned and opened my eyes, realizing I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. "Hey, sweetheart," Mom said, sitting down at the other end of the couch. Apparently, Courtney was already up and at 'em. "How you feeling?"

"Good."

Mom helped me carefully sit up and lean my back against the couch arm I had used as a pillow the night before. Courtney must have noticed this because she came over to the couch. "Morning!" she said cheerfully. "You feeling okay?"

I nodded, smiling. After Mom walked into the kitchen and Courtney and I were alone, I asked, "Have you told anyone yet?"

Courtney shook her head, and, for just a second, she seemed to glare at me. "Do you really think I'd tell ANYONE without you at least being there?"

"I just wanted to make sure." A year or so ago, I would've shrunk back a little and apologized, but by now I had gotten to understand my mate. She was just easily defensive, and I couldn't blame her for that because I was, too. It was something all of us picked up from our training in L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. Apparently.

Courtney visibly relaxed. "Sorry." She must have realized how she snapped.

I smiled sympathetically. "It's fine." I would have hugged her, but I was lying down, and she was sitting up. _Stupid wound,_ I couldn't help but think.

When Mom walked by again, I sat up the best I could. "Mom," I called to get her attention.

Mom turned and smiled at me. "Yeah?"

"Who all's still asleep?"

"Caleb, Emily, and your father."

I blinked. "Dad's still asleep?"

"He didn't manage to fall asleep until a few hours after we got back from the mission."

"Wow."

I waited until Mom was further away before saying, "Well, I guess we can't tell anyone until Dad and Emily are awake."

Apparently, Mom wasn't far enough away because she turned back to us. "Tell us what?"

"We want to wait for Perry and Emily," Courtney replied.

Mom grinned. "What's so important you have to tell us all at the same time?"

"If nothing else, you and Dad should hear it at the same time..." I tried.

"Your mom does make a good point," Courtney admitted. "We could just tell your dad when he's awake."

"And if it's something that you think might be a bit of a shock, I could help Perry when he finds out if I already know," Mom offered.

I chuckled a little at that. If only she knew. "Alright, fine." Honestly, I was so excited, I wanted to tell Mom right then. So that's what I decided on.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

I grinned as I quietly sat on the couch. I wanted to explain as much as Michael, but I hadn't even known Pixie for a year. It made more sense for Michael to get to tell his mother.

"Well, Mom, the house is gonna get a bit more crowded in a month or so..."

Pixie raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Mom..." Michael grinned, "Courtney... Courtney's pregnant."

My mate's mother was silent for a few moments, obviously trying to process this. When she did, her facial expression grew into that of shock and excitement. "T-that's great!"

Pixie then hugged Michael. "Congratulations, sweetheart."

"Thanks."

"See, it's a good thing you told me first," Pixie grinned. "I'm definitely going to need to help your father when you tell him."

I exchanged a grin with Michael. "Actually, I think it'll be easier for him than it was for you."

"Good point." Pixie looked at her watch, sighed, and glanced over at the stairs. "It's not much longer till we have to get going."

"Yeah, well, Michael's staying here," I stated immediately.

Michael shot me a look. "Courtney, it's just a scratch-"

"On a wound which was practically fatal for you," I finished. "You can't risk opening it up any more, otherwise it'll become fatal- and I'm not about to let you die."

"Fine."

Pixie smiled. "I'll make sure to tell Monogram why you can't come in, Michael, don't worry."

"Besides," I added with a grin, "I invited Daisy, Leo, and Christine over."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Christine?"

"She somehow managed to get today off."

"Figures," Pixie grinned. "The younger agents actually get more time off."

"Dad got less time off when he was younger than her," Michael replied.

"You're right."

I heard footsteps and glanced over to the stairs. Perry was walking downstairs. Pixie grinned over at him. "Could I tell him the good news?" She glanced at me with that.

Michael and I exchanged a glance. "Okay," I grinned.

Pixie walked over to her mate, who was now at the bottom of the stairs. They were just out of my ear-shot, so I couldn't hear what they were saying. But after a few minutes, Perry looked past Pixie and over to Michael and I, his eyes wide. I could guess what that meant.

After a few more minutes, Pixie walked back over to us with Perry. "Well," he grinned, "congratulations!" Perry paused an exchanged a glance with Pixie. "Hopefully, you'll have better luck with your first kid than we did."

Michael sighed. "Well, luckily, the Anti-O.W.C.A's completely formed now. I don't think we need to worry about losing the baby."

I silently placed a paw on my stomach. The Anti-O.W.C.A. was a large group of animals whose main focus was as the name suggested; to take down O.W.C.A. About fifteen years ago, L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N- who created the Anti-O.W.C.A. plan- collected hundreds of infant animals... Including me and Michael. My mate had been stolen from his parents as an infant and hadn't reunited with them till he was four years old, so that's what Perry, Pixie, and Michael were talking about.

Michael gave Perry a weak smile, and Perry mirrored it. However, Pixie just looked at the ground. Perry placed his right arm around her, pulled her close, and kissed the side of her head.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to the new member of the family," he promised, although I couldn't tell who he was talking to... Probably all three of us.

"Hope not," I muttered.

Perry, Pixie, and Michael gave me sympathetic looks. I just silently and carefully laid my head down on my mate's chest.

"Did you wake Emily up?" Pixie asked eventually.

Her mate just shook his head. "Well," Pixie sighed, "I guess we'll have to." She glanced back at Michael and me. "And there's no time to tell her the…the thing before we go."

"No problem," my mate grinned. "Emily will just have to deal with not finding out until you get back."

"You're not coming?" Perry asked, a confused look on his face.

Pixie began explaining to him, while I glanced up at Michael. "How angry will Emily be when she finds out you didn't tell her she's going to be an Aunt all day?"

A thoughtful look appeared on my mate's face. "I don't...know..." Michael grinned. "She'll just have to put up with it."

"And we'll have to put up with the anger, " I finished with a smile. We chuckled while Pixie went upstairs- to wake up Emily, most likely.

Sure enough, Michael's little sister drowsily stumbled down the stairs a few minutes later, occasionally having to be gently nudged by Pixie. Right at that moment, it was hard to believe that Emily was ten years old.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Perry and Michael teased in unison. I chuckled; Michael was certainly his father's son. They even looked exactly the same, and they sounded almost the same.

Emily rubbed her eye before glaring at her brother. "I didn't get much sleep last night!"

"You weren't sent on a mission in the middle of the night," Michael pointed out.

"Yeah, well, SEVERAL people were up till midnight last night because of it," Emily retorted. "And it didn't help that a couple hours later, someone decided to go outside for some bizarre reason."

My eyes widened. "Oh, that would have been me." I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

All the eyes in the room turned to me, making me a bit uncomfortable. "What were you doing outside at 2:00 A.M. in the morning?" Emily finally asked incredulously.

"How did you manage to hear the door that time of night from upstairs?" I retorted playfully.

"Touché."

"Come on, Emily," Pixie said, passing her daughter on the stairs. "We need to get going."

Emily crossed her arms. "I'll take it Michael's staying here, based on the fact he's got bandages wrapped around his chest and that he's lying lazily on the couch?" It was funny how she didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about him, since she wasn't with us last night.

Michael gestured to me with his head. "She's making me relax here against my will."

"And only you or your father would ever say something like that," came a muffled, amused female voice.

Everyone whirled to the voice. Christine the cat was in the backyard, pressed up against the glass and grinning. "Could I come in?"

"Sure!" I leaped off the couch to open the door- and immediately regretted it. I normally had a stomach of rock, so, when my stomach performed cartwheels, I could tell that my pregnancy wasn't exactly going to be delightful.

However, I covered up my sudden bit of pain and opened the door for Christine. "Hey!"

"Hi!" The she-cat hugged me before walking into the room everyone else was in. She quickly scanned my mate in his condition then crossed her arms. "What happened to you?"

"Dr. Diminutive. And, if you go back to the root of the problem, Prof. Rodenstein," Michael grinned.

"Something happened to the scar?"

"It reopened," grimaced Michael.

"But it's not really that bad," I reassured.

"Didn't think it was," grinned Christine.

Pixie glanced at her watch again. "Alright, we really need to get going."

Emily sighed as her parents waved, "Bye" and walked out of the house. Christine's grin was still on her face. "Haven't eaten yet?"

The ten year-old shook her head. Christine reached into her fur and pulled out something, which she tossed to Emily. "Something for the car."

"Thanks!" Emily ran out after her parents.

"What is it?" Michael asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Nutrition bar." Christine paused. "Oh! Speaking of which, I think I saw Daisy walking over."

I chuckled along with Michael. "How did a nutrition bar remind you of Daisy?"

"I don't know." We all laughed.

 **Christine and Emily are back! :D :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is the chapter things begin to heat up… I:} I:} I:}**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

Christine was right; Daisy the dog arrived a few minutes later with Leo the lizard. As soon as Daisy saw me, her eyes widened.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Courtney and I quickly said in unison.

"Alright..." Daisy still didn't seem too comfortable. "I guess Courtney knows what she's doing," the dog replied after a few minutes of silence.

I glanced over at Leo. According to Courtney, he had become less talkative- than normal- and more the strong-silent type over the past six to seven years. When he was nine- when Courtney, Daisy, and I were eight, Leo was a year older than us- he and I had both seen things that weren't normal.

"So how's life with Phineas and his family?" I grinned after a few minutes.

Daisy mirrored my expression. "Oh, it's great! He, Isabella, and their son are all really nice."

When Daisy, Leo, and Courtney had first betrayed L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N, they stayed at our house since no one at O.W.C.A. trusted them. My family and Lydia's family spent the next couple of months trying to find good families for them to live with. When Courtney became my mate, it made our task easier.

When Dad asked Phineas, he had said that he would love to take care of Daisy. My best friend was now his family's pet.

We would have asked Ferb to take care of Leo, but, well... He moved back to England a couple years before my friends turned good. So we asked Irving instead- who was perfectly willing to own an animal that was the best friend of the son of the pet of his heroes/obsessions.

"And how's your life with Irving?" I asked Leo curiously.

Leo smiled. "By now, I think Irving's shown me every project Phineas and Ferb ever did. It's pretty cool."

I chuckled. "Which one's your favorite?"

"The cirque," replied Leo with absolutely no hesitation.

"Oh, yeah, I would have loved to see that," I agreed with a grin. "Too bad none of us even existed then." I paused and glanced at the ground as another thought came to me. "Wow. That was before my parents even met."

"Imagine how it must be for your dad," Christine pointed out with a smile. "His owners, who were little kids when they met, are adults and have families now, he has two kids, and one of them has a mate."

"Things change," Courtney murmured, placing a paw on her stomach. Only I noticed it because she continued. "I mean, think of how we used to be."

Murmurs of agreement rose up from Leo, Daisy, and I. Christine hesitated. "My life doesn't feel so different from the way it was when I was a kitten..."

"Yeah, because you were raised in O.W.C.A, Little Miss Perfect," teased Leo- just because he was quieter than he used to be didn't mean he was QUIET.

We were all silent for a moment or two. Leo then realized what he said, and his eyes widened. "Oh! I-I-I didn't mean-"

Chris giggled and shook her head. "It's okay. I know you were just teasing. And I get what you're saying," she admitted. "You're right: my parents both died when I was little. I was found on O.W.C.A's doorstep and taken in. I was raised by O.W.C.A, not L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. I don't have a clue what you four went through in L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N, but what I went through probably wasn't anything compared to what you went through."

"Random riots between trainees would break out daily," Courtney offered.

"The only rule was that we couldn't kill the other trainees," I spoke up. "We could bring them to the point of death, but we couldn't actually kill them."

Daisy shivered at the memory. I smiled sympathetically. It was how we became friends. When Daisy was new out of the nursery- where we were weaned and given basic training by one member of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. in solitude to be prepared for when we were old enough to join up with the other trainees- she saw an extra-bloody and gory riot. I comforted her- she was only a puppy then- and we became best friends.

Christine blinked. "Wow."

"Good reply."

 **(Courtney's POV)**

We were silent for the next few minutes. I leaned back against my mate...and immediately sat up again as a sharp, very unexpected pain stabbed my stomach. I actually let out a yelp- that's how bad it felt.

"Courtney!" I felt Michael begin to massage my shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Cramp," I winced.

Daisy raised a concerned eyebrow. "You NEVER get cramps. Even at the beginning of our training with L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N, you never got cramps. Not to mention who your father is- it's like it's against your genetics to get cramps."

"Maybe it is." I managed to relax up against my mate and ignore the pain. "But I got a few in the nursery when I first began fighting."

Christine, Leo, and Daisy exchanged glances. "So what's going on?"

I glanced over at Michael, who grinned. "We go on and tell them?" I murmured, nuzzling my mate a little.

"Of course," Michael replied with a grin. "They're our best friends."

With that, he looked back up at Leo, Daisy, and Christine. "Now, you three are going to be finding out before Emily, but don't tell her that."

Leo crossed his arms. "Tell her what?"

Michael and I grinned at each other. "The fact she's gonna be an aunt," I beamed.

The next minute was full of total silence. Our friends were obviously trying to process this; to interpret the meaning behind what I said. As soon as they seemed to fully grasp the meaning, their eyes widened, and they stared at Michael and me.

"Oh... My... Gosh..." Daisy murmured. "You...? You're...?"

I laughed and shrugged my shoulders a little. "I'm pregnant."

"That..." Daisy seemed at a loss for words- that was new. "That's..."

"That's amazing!" grinned Leo.

Daisy blushed. "What he said."

 **(Michael's POV)**

As Leo and Daisy congratulated us, I glanced at Chris. She hadn't said anything since we told them Courtney was pregnant. When Christine met my eyes, she beamed, but she still didn't say anything.

Last year, before I was mates with Courtney, I had found out that Christine had been crushing on me since we were kids. After a day or so of thought, I let her down easy. It hadn't occurred to me that maybe Christine still had a crush on me, even though she knew I didn't feel the same. Maybe she was a little jealous of me and Courtney.

"How long have you been pregnant?" Daisy asked.

"Not even twenty-four hours-" Courtney broke off in a yawn.

I then remembered how little sleep we had gotten last night. "Alright, Courtney," I began, gently nudging my mate forward so I could stand up. Part of me regretted standing up when a sharp stab of pain momentarily ran through my chest. "You need to rest."

Courtney glared at me. "Michael, I-"

"Only got six hours of sleep last night," I finished, crossing my arms. "Not to mention that you're gonna need more sleep than normal over the next couple months."

My mate looked like she was about to try and argue when she was overcome by another yawn. I smiled and kissed her cheek. "My point is proven."

"We won't leave till after we can socialize a bit more with you," Christine promised with a wink.

That seemed to be what Courtney needed to know. "Okay," she sighed. She laid down on the couch and closed her eyes. I silently gestured toward the other room, and my friends nodded in understand. They quietly walked into the living room. I kissed my mate's forehead before following.

 **(...)**

"So what gender are you hoping for?" Leo asked.

Daisy, Leo, Christine, and I were all sitting in a circle on the floor of the living room. Lydia, who had been in there, said she'd leave us "friends to our fun".

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

Leo gestured to the wall to his left- the wall separating the living room and the room Courtney was asleep in. "The baby," he explained. "Are you hoping it'll be a boy or a girl?"

"Oh." I paused in thought. "I don't know. I guess I'd love either: they both have their pros and cons.

"I mean, on one hand, a son would be great, but it would be nice to have a daughter... Just for something different. But it would be really scary to raise a girl, too."

Leo nodded in understanding, but I didn't miss the eye roll Christine and Daisy exchanged. "What about Courtney?" Daisy pushed. "What do you think she's hoping for?"

I grinned and shook my head exasperatedly. "Guys, for crying out loud! She hasn't even been pregnant for one day! We've still got a whole month to go."

"Well, can you blame us for being happy for you?" Christine grinned.

"What's new with you guys?" I quickly changed the subject.

"Your sister introduced me to Jake," offered Daisy.

I raised an eyebrow. "Daniel the dog's son?"

Daisy blushed and nodded. I quickly realized why my friend brought it up. "Daisy, he's, like, three years younger than you."

"I know," she grinned, her cheeks still a light red. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

Leo crossed his arms. "What if he hates you because of... Well... Your past?"

I shook my head. "Daniel's reasonable and nice. Jake's a lot like his father. Besides, Jake and Emily have been friends for several years now, and Jake actually just visited a few weeks ago. He knows we're not evil anymore."

Just then, there was a banging on the front door. "Daisy," I instructed, "go get Lydia."

Daisy nodded and began to run to the stairs as a male voice gruffly said, "Open up!"

Christine ran to the window and peeked out. "Government," she said. "Can't tell what part specifically; I don't recognize their uniforms."

I walked next to my friend and glanced out the window as well. Several men were standing outside the door, holding guns and wearing olive green and black uniforms. I knew them all too well.

"O.W.C.A-Traz guards," I answered, walking over to the door as it was banged on again.

"Open this door, or we'll open it ourselves!" His voice sounded a little desperate.

I was about to open the door when Christine asked, "But why are they here?"

"Maybe Courtney, Daisy, Michael, and I aren't allowed in the same building anymore," Leo suggested. I inwardly winced at the realization that he was perfectly serious- it could very well be the case.

Just as I opened the door, Lydia came down the stairs. "What's going on?" she demanded.

Daisy followed her down the stairs and walked over to me. "Linda and Lawrence?" I whispered.

"Resting upstairs," she replied.

"Ah."

The man who was the one banging on the door was wearing a slightly different uniform than the others. I recognized him from ten years ago as the Warden of the O.W.C.A-Traz. He glared at me- obviously, he recognized me- as he talked with Lydia. "One of our prisoners is having problems staying in his cell. This time, he decided to completely destroy his cell. Major Monogram said you could keep him here till we fix up and improve his cell."

Lydia crossed her arms. "I guess we could," she said slowly. "Who is the prisoner?"

A white figure with his paws behind his back was thrust into the house. Several gasps rose up from us as we recognized him, and I could feel the color drain from my face. "Dennis!"

Dennis smiled at me. "Hello, Michael." He eyed my bandage.

"About how long will the reconstruction take?" Lydia asked coldly.

"Two weeks to a month. It depends how lucky we are."

"Why do we have to do this?" I demanded.

"You don't have a choice," replied the Warden. "Watch him, and don't let him escape." With that, he slammed the door closed and left with his guards.

Lydia immediately waved her hand, and I saw some kind of purple shimmer wash over Dennis. "Go on, try to move."

Dennis did, but he couldn't. "I've frozen you," Lydia explained. "You're still as a statue as long as this spell's on you."

"Great," grinned Christine. "So you're going to keep him under that spell the whole time?"

Lydia shook her head. "I wish I could. Unfortunately, it's only temporary. It lasts about five minutes, and it takes a surprising amount of my energy to cast it. I can only cast it once a day."

"Then why'd you freeze him now?" Daisy inquired.

"These measly handcuffs aren't enough."

I snapped my fingers. "Home Security System!" We had a lot of targets living in our house; we didn't have just a simple burglar alarm, we had alarms ALL over, security cameras, and cages set up.

"Exactly." Lydia grinned and pushed Dennis under one of the cages that were set up on the ceiling. Lydia had put a special magic on them, so they were invisible when they were on the ceiling, but as soon as they were tripped and fell, they'd become opaque.

After Dennis was positioned correctly- still frozen- Lydia pulled his handcuffs off, waved her hand, and the cage fell over top of him with a bang.

The spell wore off a couple minutes later, just like Lydia said it would. "Well, well. Michael, Daisy, and Leo. Three of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's four traitors." Dennis' eyes narrowed. "Where's my daughter?"

Courtney must still have been asleep in the other room. She didn't know that we were stuck watching her father for the next few weeks. Yet.

"Christine, call O.W.C.A," I instructed. "I don't care who picks up; just tell the first person you hear what's going on. Something tells me Major Monogram hasn't told Mom and Dad about this yet."

"What about you?"

I walked over to the she-cat. "I'm going to stay near my mate and unborn baby," I muttered quietly. Now that Dennis was in the same building, they weren't exactly safe.

Christine nodded in sympathetic understanding. "Got it."

Ignoring Dennis' watchful gaze, I walked into the other room. Courtney was lying on her side on the couch, eyes closed. I could see her chest rising and falling rhythmically and smiled. She looked beautiful.

Being careful of my wound and her stomach, I quietly laid down next to her and placed my paw on her cheek. She smiled- like she sensed it- and rolled a little closer to me.

I gently nuzzled the fur by her shoulder and held her up against me with one arm. With the other, I tenderly placed a paw on her stomach. I wasn't expecting to feel anything yet, of course- like I told my friends, she wasn't even twenty-four hours gone yet.

That's why I was very happily surprised when I felt a little squirm from her stomach. I beamed and gently pressed my beak against Courtney's torso. I wasn't going to wake her- she needed her rest. Especially if she was going to wake up to this new news.

 **VibeQuake, you were right xD xD It's Dennis xD xD You know me so well… He's my go-to PnF villain xD xD xD**

 **Super-cute moment at the very end of the chapter. Anyone else fangirling/fanboying? xD xD xD xD And if you don't ship MichaelxCourtney yet (*cough* VibeQuake *coughs again* xD xD) then you will most likely be shipping them by the end of this story xD This scene was just the first thing I have in mind :D :D :D :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm already updating agin :O :O I might very well be faster on this story than the others in the series xD In all fairness, it will be the shortest story in the series**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Daisy's POV)**

"Where is my daughter?" Dennis demanded yet again, glaring at me.

I didn't shrink back. Yet. "I thought you called her a traitor."

Pain flashed in Dennis' eyes for a second. "She is one. But where is she?"

Christine- who had been talking to someone over her phone- placed her phone back in her fur pocket and walked over to Dennis, Leo, and me. "It's none of your business," she said coldly.

"It is every bit my business," Dennis growled. "Where's Courtney?"

 **(Michael's POV)**

I felt a little stab of guilt as I heard Dennis demanding Daisy, Leo, and Christine where his daughter was. She was right here, curled up next to me. Right in the other room.

It wasn't like Dennis wouldn't ever see Courtney again. In fact, Dennis would probably see her very soon. However, now I was- okay, I wasn't technically a father yet. But I had the anticipation and excitement that I was going to become one, and that alone bonded me to my child I hadn't even met yet. Dennis almost definitely loved his daughter... In his own, twisted way, that is.

Courtney began to toss and turn a bit. I gently let go of her and let her move freely. After a couple more minutes, she let out a little moan- the kind everyone makes before they wake up.

Sure enough, my mate then yawned and opened her eyes. She let out a yelp of surprise, and I saw her jump a little. "Michael!"

I grinned. "Hey, sweetheart."

"How long was I asleep?"

Now I glanced at the closest clock- I wasn't wearing my watch. "About thirty minutes."

Courtney sighed. "Seriously?"

"Don't worry," I chuckled. "It's not like you'll never get another chance to sleep."

My mate crossed her arms and grinned. "You're sounding different now."

"New..." I hesitated. "New priorities have come up."

"Oh." Courtney snuggled up against me and pressed her forehead up against mine. "Where are the others? I thought they said they wouldn't leave while I was asleep."

"They didn't," I reassured. "They're in the living room." I felt my mate relax. "Honestly, even if they were going to- which I know they weren't- I think they would have stayed anyway. After what just happened..."

Courtney backed away from me and looked me in the eye. "Alright, what'd I miss?"

 **(Courtney's POV)**

Michael simply backed away from me, stood up, and began to walk into the living room. I exasperatedly got up and followed him.

"Michael, I was asleep for thirty minutes. What could have possibly happened in thirty minutes that's so-" I broke off when I saw a cage. A cage with an all too familiar face in it.

"Dad," I said coldly. I was trying not to seem too shocked, but the waver in my voice ruined that. "What are you doing here?"

Michael gripped my paw tightly. "For some reason, Dennis completely mutilated his jail cell in the O.W.C.A-Traz. We have to watch him until it's rebuilt."

I glared at Dad. "Well, it got me here, right?" he grinned. "Come on, Michael, you know how horrible that place is."

My mate shook his head. "So you got yourself trapped in my entire family's house, not to mention the daughter of a sorcerer and her family's. Yeah, real smart."

"Come here." I pulled Michael further away from Dad and held his paws while staring deep into his eyes.

"Courtney, what is it?"

"Why now?" I wailed quietly. "Why did he have to come now? Why NOW?"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "'Why now' what, sweetheart?"

"Why did Dad have to come now? Why did all this have to happen now? I would have been fine with this a couple of days ago, but why now?" I began crying quietly. "Why did he have to come now, when I'm expecting our baby?"

My mate wrapped his arms around me as I quietly cried. "He's the one who created the Anti-O.W.C.A. plan, right?"

"Yeah," Michael sighed.

"Then he's the one who separated hundreds of children from their parents. Michael, he can't find out about our child; who knows what could happen?"

Michael rubbed my back. "Then he WON'T find out about our child."

I sniffled and wiped my eyes. "But as much as I hate to admit it, Mike, he's family." I rested my paw on my stomach. "He's this little one's grandfather. He does have a right to know about it."

"Oh, Courtney..." Michael pressed his forehead against mine and put his paws on my waist. We both knew everyone in the room- including Dad- was watching, but we didn't care.

"Do you know how long he has to stay here?"

"The Warden said probably about two weeks to a month."

I sighed. "He'll find out by then. Whether we tell him or not, it'll become obvious."

Dad coughed, making Michael and me turn to look at him. "I hate to break this up, but would you mind explaining... Well, THAT?" He gestured to me and Michael, who still had his paws on my waist.

"Dad," I said firmly, turning my whole body to him and grabbing Michael's paw, "Michael is my mate."

His eyes widened. "You became mates with Perry's son?"

I laid my head on Michael's shoulder, staring firmly at Dad.

"I never thought that would happen," sighed Dad.

"You're not the only one," came a familiar male voice from behind us.

We whirled around, and Michael grinned. "Dad!"

Sure enough, Perry, Pixie, and Emily were standing in the doorway. "You're early," I commented.

Perry and Pixie glared at Dad; Emily just looked nervous. "We went to talk to Major Monogram after Christine called," Perry explained. "He allowed us to leave early."

"I wish he had given a warning," Pixie muttered, crossing her arms.

"The arrangement was made only about an hour ago," Dad pointed out.

"I don't care. He could have still given us a warning."

Dad grinned and shook his head. "Pixie, Pixie, Pixie. Stubborn as always."

"You better believe it."

I chuckled and leaned back against Michael's chest. As soon as I remembered his injury, I quickly leaned forward again and glanced back at my mate.

He smiled at me, and I leaned back against him again. Michael's arms wrapped around me, confirming that what I was doing wasn't hurting him.

 **(Dennis' POV)**

I couldn't believe it. My daughter was mates with Perry's son! Perry and I had been enemies since before we had each fallen in love with someone else, and now we were... Oh... I guess we were now related... Ew.

Watching Courtney and Michael gave me an unexpected pang of sadness. Although I hadn't experienced that pang in years, I immediately recognized why I got it.

It was Melissa, Courtney's mother. I missed her. I WAS evil- I was proud to say it. But even I fell in love with someone. I feel deeply in love with Melissa the rabbit, and she had left me.

A wave of anger washed over me. Melissa left me. The last time I had seen her was when she was pregnant with Courtney; I told her about the Anti-O.W.C.A. plan that I had created and hinted at to L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N- although I did claim those imbeciles made it when I was talking to Melie.

My paws clenched the bars of the new cage I was in. Melie had promised to visit me in the jail cell after she dropped our baby off with L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. She never did.

"Dad, I'm sorry if you have a problem with Michael being my mate," Courtney said shakily. "But there's no point in wishing he wasn't. I love him."

Another doleful pang struck my heart, and I didn't reply.

 **(Michael's POV)**

When Dennis didn't answer after several minutes, Daisy, Leo, and Christine stepped back out of the background and said, _"Bye"_. By now, it was only early afternoon, but they seemed to realize it would be best for them to leave now.

Dad, Mom, and Emily were now on the couch, which was just out of hearing range of Dennis. They waved me and Courtney over. We quickly walked over to the couch- feeling Dennis' eyes on us- and climbed onto it.

"What is it?" I whispered, starting our hushed conversation.

Mom glanced concernedly at my mate. "How are you doing, Courtney?"

"I'm fine." The slight shake of Courtney's voice betrayed her calm tone and posture.

I nuzzled Courtney's cheek sympathetically as Emily asked, "Why did you ask that, Mom?"

"Emily," Dad scolded quietly, "Dennis is Courtney's father. This will be hard for her."

"But we have to tell her," grinned Courtney.

"Yeah." I nodded in agreement with my mate.

Emily cocked her head in confusion. "Tell me what?"

Courtney and I exchanged a grin. "Emily," I began, "you're going to get a niece or nephew."

It took Emily approximately ten seconds to interpret this. "Courtney's PREGNANT?" she hissed.

We all nodded. "Well, why didn't you tell me this earlier?!"

"Because someone decided to sleep in late," Mom grinned.

"We wanted to," I promised. "We just didn't have time."

Emily sighed and shook her head. "Fine. Normally, I'd be angry, but we've obviously got more important things right now."

"Like what we're going to do in a couple weeks," Courtney pointed out. "If Dad's still stuck here in a month..." She couldn't finish her thought.

"You're worried he'll do something with the baby," pieced Dad.

Courtney nodded weakly.

"Don't worry," I murmured, nuzzling her with my beak again. "I won't let him do ANYTHING to our child."

"WE won't," Mom corrected with a smile. "This next while is going to be hard on all of us, but we CAN get through it-"

"If we work together," Dad finished.

I exchanged a glance with Emily. "Together," we agreed with a grin.

"Together." Courtney had been my mate for eight months, but she still seemed a bit surprised with just how close our family was.

We stuck by each other through everything, and, now that Courtney was part of the family, my parents and sister were going to stick by her just as closely. We WOULD get through this. Together.

… **Anyone bugged by the slightly cliché ending? No? Great xD xD I love the ending, so…**


	5. Chapter 5

**WHOO-HOOO! I AM UPDATING THIS AGAIN!**

 **And I am SO SO SO SORRY for how long this took xD xD xD I gained a new obsession in this time period of months (VibeQuake knows what it is xD xD xD xD xD xD)**

 **Welp, anyway, let's continue with the story!**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Courtney's POV)**

A kick to my stomach woke me up. I sat up with a start, only to remember my baby in my stomach. I relaxed and laid down again.

The rest of the day before had been fairly uneventful. We tried to ignore Dad as much as we could and tried to live life fairly normally. Luckily, night had come quickly.

Michael stirred beside me. His wound had begun to heal up fairly quickly, so he and I agreed he could move back to our bed upstairs.

I winced when I heard him move and lied as silently as I could. Unfortunately, I heard a drowsy, "Courtney? Are you okay?" only a minute later.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." It was around four in the morning.

"It's fine." Michael rolled on his side to look at me. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only a few minutes." I tenderly placed a paw on my stomach. "This little one's moving around a lot already."

"I wonder why," came Michael's thoughtful reply. "I felt him or her move yesterday." He chuckled quietly. "We might have a really developed baby when it's born."

"Or maybe something's wrong," was my worried response.

"Courtney-"

"Michael, our child's already moving around a lot! It's only been a little over twenty-four hours! That's not normal!"

Pixie let out a small moan- Lydia, Caleb, Perry, Pixie, Michael, and I all slept in what apparently used to be Phineas and Ferb's room- so I quieted down again. "Michael, I'm scared." The words felt foreign on my tongue.

Michael gently nuzzled me with his beak. "Courtney, it's really early. I'm not sure if this is really something we should worry about, but, even if it is, it's certainly not something to stay up worrying about. Go back to sleep."

But I couldn't.

 **(...)**

"Maybe your mom could help," I suggested the next morning, walking into the living room after my mate.

"Help with what?" I had forgotten about Dad.

"None of your business," I retorted sharply.

"You're my daughter, I think that makes it my business."

Michael shot Dad a glare. "You have no right to call her your daughter."

"Kid, no matter how it may appear, I do care for Courtney."

"You really haven't shown that well," I muttered under my breath.

 **(Michael's POV)**

I walked up to Dennis in his cage. "I'm Courtney's mate." I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying, _"I'm going to be a father"._ "I'm not a kid anymore," I said firmly.

"Sorry, force of habit. I WAS trapped in a cage with you for over a month while you WERE a kid." Dennis raised an eyebrow as he eyed my torso. "Which was apparently safer than here. What's up with the bandage?"

"Not much now," Courtney replied, walking up to me. "I don't think you need it anymore."

"Thank goodness," I sighed. The bandage was making me feel stiff and unable to move much of my upper body.

"C'mon." Courtney grabbed my paw and dragged me into the dining room.

As she began to remove my bandage, I placed a paw on her cheek. "How you feeling?"

"Like I still want to talk with Pixie."

I sighed. "Courtney, I really don't think this is that big of a deal..."

"And I really think that it would be best to hear from someone who's experienced this before," retorted my mate.

"But you can talk to Mom if you want," I finished with a sigh.

"I didn't realize I needed your permission."

"Grumpy much today?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night."

"I never said I didn't blame you," I grinned. "Really, I CAN'T blame you, with everything that's going on."

Courtney simply sighed and pressed her forehead up against my- now bandage-less- chest. I rubbed her back and kissed her head. "I know I say this all the time, but I love you."

"I love you, too," Courtney murmured.

I gently stroked my mate's ear. "Why don't you go on and go upstairs; I'll get Mom."

"Okay." I kissed Courtney's cheek as she backed away from me and turned to the stairs.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

I was quickly up the stairs and on Lydia and Caleb's bed. Slowly, I relaxed onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, my paws resting on my stomach. I hadn't even been pregnant for two full days, and yet I already felt a bond with my baby. If something was wrong with him or her, I didn't know what I'd do.

A soft knock brought me out of my thoughts. I sat up and saw Pixie standing in the doorway. "Everything okay, Courtney?"

"Michael didn't say anything?"

"Other than that you wanted to talk to me? No." Pixie left the doorway and began walking to me. "What is it?"

"You've been pregnant twice before..." I began quietly. "That's why I wanted to talk to you."

Pixie climbed up next to me on the bed. "Courtney... Are... Are you...scared?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just... Not for the reasons you may be thinking. H-how long did it take for you to start being able to feel that you were definitely pregnant?"

Quickly, I added, "I-I-I know it's a private question, but..."

"It's fine, Courtney," Pixie smiled. "Both times I was pregnant, it only took about a week... Why?"

I moaned. "It hasn't even been a week for me yet..."

"Getting kicked already?" Pixie seemed amused.

But I nodded miserably. "I'm worried something's wrong."

Pixie hesitated. "I don't think there is," she said finally. "But I can check if it will make you feel better."

"That would be nice," I replied.

My mate's mother smiled sympathetically and climbed up onto the bed next to me. She hesitantly placed her paw on my stomach before looking at me. "Is this awkward for you at all?"

"Not really." I shook my head.

Pixie smiled. "I'm glad."

We were silent for the next few minutes. Finally, Pixie said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with the baby, Courtney."

"Really?"

"Really," Pixie reassured with a smile. "You're just gonna have a special- and possibly surprisingly developed- kid."

I chuckled- this felt so weird for me. Was it seriously just under a year ago that I hated Michael and looked up to my dad? Wow.

Pixie continued. "But, seriously, Courtney... You're so concerned about your unborn child... You may not think you'll be a good mom, but I know you'll make a great one."

"T-thanks, Pixie."

"He or she's going to be one lucky kid, with you or Michael as the parents," Pixie grinned. It morphed into a playful smirk as she said, "And especially with Perry and I as their grandparents."

I laughed, but it turned into a sigh. "And Dad..."

Pixie hesitated. "Let's not talk about that," she smiled finally.

With that, she left the room.

I smiled and laid down on my back again. Pixie was right. Everything was going to be okay.

 **So, once again, I got stuck on a mostly filler yet still important chapter -_- -_- (I got stuck on one in Rotten to the Core as well xD) I don't think I like these chapters xD xD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Updating again! :D**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

The entire next week was fairly uneventful, minus Dennis being in the same house. I kept a close eye on both him and Courtney- and she could tell, which I knew frustrated her. The thing is, as long as Dennis was there, I was going to watch her almost as carefully as her father. Especially if she was pregnant.

Talking with Mom seemed to do Courtney a world of good. She was sleeping normally again, she had a calmer feel to her again- basically, she was back to normal.

However, Dennis was preventing Courtney from being completely back to normal. I could tell that she was actually even more bugged about Dennis than me. She was staying far away from him and wasn't talking to him much- if at all. Honestly, I felt sort of bad for Dennis as well as my mate. He kept demanding to talk to his daughter, but she wouldn't come to him- it must have hurt him at least a bit.

One day, Courtney came up to me with the sentence, "Michael, he needs to know."

I blinked. "Who needs to know what?"

"Dad." Courtney sighed and sat down next to me. "H-he needs to know about our- th- that I'm... That I'm pregnant."

"What?!"

"I just feel awful not telling him." Courtney looked at the ground. "I know that it's a bad idea, but... It's just... This child is his grandchild..."

"Courtney..."

She laughed weakly. "Besides. I don't even know what he'll do if he escapes and then finds out that we kept it a secret from him... Maybe it's better-."

I gently placed a finger on Courtney's lips. "You don't need to explain your reasoning to me- if you think this is best, then we can go ahead and tell him."

My mate smiled weakly. "Thanks."

 **(...)**

Courtney gripped my paw tightly as we faced Dennis in his cage. "Dad, I need to tell you something."

Dennis raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's about time you talk to me. Isn't it hard to avoid me when we share a house?"

"I've actually been really good at being separated from my parents my whole life," Courtney replied coldly, glowering at him.

Her father...actually winced a little. However, before he could reply, Courtney continued. "But I'm not here to talk about that. There's something I haven't told you yet... And it's been about a week. Honestly, I feel bad not telling you..."

"Not telling me what?"

I felt Courtney's grip on my paw immediately double in tightness. "That... That I'm..."

Dennis tapped his foot impatiently, and I shot him a glare.

"I'm pregnant," Courtney finally said quickly.

Her father's eyes augmented to twice their normal size. "WHAT?!"

"And... And Michael's the father," continued Courtney firmly.

"Wait... You said it's been about a week, and you hadn't told me yet... You've already been pregnant for a WEEK?!"

"Y-yeah." I could tell Courtney was getting more nervous now that she HAD told Dennis, and I reassuringly nuzzled her cheek.

Dennis crossed his arms and glared straight at me. "And you're the father."

"Yes," I said firmly. I bit my tongue to keep, _"Deal with it"_ from popping out of my mouth.

"Great," sighed Dennis, shaking his head. "My grandchild will have Perry's son as a father."

"Better than having you as one," Courtney muttered, glaring at the ground.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

Once we were done, Michael and I went upstairs and sat on our bed. "Well, that went better than I expected," my mate admitted.

"Yeah," I sighed. "My biggest fear now is what Dad'll do with that knowledge."

Michael held my paw in his. "Hey, listen. There's no reason for that to be your fear. We can keep him from doing whatever he wants to with our child, right?"

I slowly nodded. "I... I guess..." Then I yawned, despite the fact that it was only mid-afternoon.

And Michael noticed this. "Why don't you go on and get some rest; you look tired."

To my surprise, I didn't protest. I WAS tired. I nodded slowly and laid down on my side. Michael smiled and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep with my mate stroking me.

 **(...)**

 _A female rabbit stared down at me. She had dusty brown fur and gray eyes. "Hello, sweetheart."_

 _She let out a weak smile. "It already looks like you may have your father's eyes."_

 _Just then, there was a growl. The rabbit's head shot up. "Oh, no." Quickly, she set me down and picked up a large shard of glass. I looked where she was looking and saw three large dogs padding closer to us, all snarling._

 _One leapt for us, but the rabbit used her shard of glass to stab it. Hard. That injured the dog badly and distracted the other two. The rabbit speedily picked me up and ran past the dogs and out the alley. I caught a glimpse of a sign on one of the buildings at the front of the alley, and it stuck in my mind._

 _We arrived at a broken down building. The rabbit quietly stepped into it, tapped her foot in one place on the floor, and a trapdoor slid open. Quickly, a man in a labcoat climbed up through the door, and the brown rabbit held me out to him. "Take her. Please."_

 _The man's eyes narrowed. "How did you find us?"_

 _"H-her father knows about the Anti-O.W.C.A. Please, just take her."_

 **(...)**

I didn't shoot up from my sleep, but I did sit up quite quickly. Michael was still sitting next to me. He had a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? You kept turning."

"How long did I sleep?"

"About an hour."

"It felt a lot faster than that," I murmured, pulling my legs to my chest.

Michael placed his paw on my shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"A-almost, but it wasn't quite..." I hesitated as I thought for a moment. "I think I need to talk to you and your parents about it."

"O-okay..."

 **(...)**

I laid next to Michael on the carpet at the edge of the living room. Perry and Pixie laid across from us, so we almost formed a circle. "That sounds like a fairly detailed dream," Pixie commented when I had finished describing it.

"The only time I ever had a dream that detailed was when I had those nightmare-memories of my parents' deaths," Perry said grimly.

Michael hesitated. "I had a dream-memory when I was four... It was the same- the most detailed dream I've ever had."

I blinked and glanced back and forth from my mate to Perry. "Are... Are you saying that it was a memory that came to me in a dream?"

"They're apparently quite common for our family," Perry sighed.

"And the Anti-O.W.C.A. was mentioned," reminded Michael. "Plus, that's the same building that the Anti-O.W.C.A's old headquarters were hidden under."

Apparently, though, we were just in the hearing range of Dad in his cage. "You said a female rabbit?" His voice was surprisingly quiet.

I shot him a glare. "Yeah. Why?"

"You didn't say what she looked like," he pointed out.

"What's it matter to you?" I challenged.

Dad didn't seem fazed. "Did she have dusty brown fur?"

I blinked. "Y-yeah..."

"Sparkling gray eyes?"

My eyes narrowed. "How do you know all this?"

"Courtney, that..." Dad inhaled. "That was your mom."

 **Dun, dun, DUN!**


	7. Chapter 7

***dances in chair* I am moving quickly again!**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Courtney's POV)**

"Wha-WHAT?!" I gasped.

"Then it MUST have been a memory..." Perry mused. "Your mother taking you to the Anti-O.W.C.A."

"This was completely random," I muttered, crossing my arms.

"Pregnancy stirs up that kind of thing," Pixie replied sympathetically.

I sighed and shook my head. "B-B-But it... She... I..."

"Courtney, I know that it's a lot to take in," Dad said from behind me, his voice kinder than I had ever heard it before, "but that WAS Melissa. I'd recognize her anywhere- whether just through description or actually seeing her."

"I..." This might have been the hardest sentence for me to say since I left the Anti-O.W.C.A. "I believe you, Dad."

"Really?"

"You don't have a reason to lie."

Michael sympathetically rubbed my shoulder, and I sighed. "Although part of me wants to believe you ARE lying."

Dad was silent and stared at the ground. I yawned, suddenly feeling tired again- my nap earlier had been short and restless. "I... I think I'm going to go on and head to bed- I'm not that hungry."

"O-okay," Michael hesitated. "I-If that's what you think is best."

I nodded weakly. "I think I need some time by myself."

"Alright, Courtney."

Needless to say, when I laid down in bed, I fell asleep immediately.

 **(...)**

So, of course, I woke up earlier than everyone else. When I woke up, Michael was asleep next to me. I yawned and sat up to see the clock- it was two in the morning.

I sighed. Now I was too awake to get back to sleep, but there was no one else awake.

Or so I thought. I quietly got up and went downstairs to get a cup of water- which would help me get back to sleep- when I saw Dad, who seemed to be as wide awake as I was. "Dad?"

 **(Perry's POV)**

I sighed as I stared at my laptop screen- it was two in the morning, and I was still working on my report for Major Monogram...which was due that morning.

Since it was so late, I had been almost positive that I was the only person still awake. Unfortunately, to my discomfort, I had discovered Dennis was also still awake. For a few hours now, we had been awake downstairs together. Every twenty minutes or so, I had gone to check on him before getting back to my work in the dining room.

Then I heard a voice. "Dad?" Courtney? She was awake?

I quietly paused my work and listened.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

Dad turned around to me. He was wearing a smirk on his face, but his eyes gave away shock that I was awake. "What?"

I hesitated. "C-C-Could you tell me about Mom? What was s-she like?"

"You... You're really asking me?"

"Yes," I replied firmly. "I might regret it later, but... Yes."

Dad smirked, almost immediately making me regret my decision. "Well, she... I wish I could say you're most like me, but, honestly... You're so much like her. Feisty, independent, strong... Stubborn..."

"Hey!" I snapped.

"It's true," Dad chuckled. "I don't think Michael would protest against any of those I just listed... Right?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Fine. I guess you're right..."

"The first couple of days after we met..." Dad grinned at the memory. "I can't think of a single sentence she didn't sass me with."

In spite of myself, I chuckled. I stopped when a thought struck me. "Dad... H-how did you meet Mom?"

His face softened, to my surprise. "I'm honestly a bit surprised this is the first time you've asked about that."

He hesitated and glanced at the ground. "I hate saying it, but... I guess you have Perry and Pixie to thank for that. I'm not completely sure what happened," Dad admitted, "but I know Melie did something to Pixie that made Perry mad. Thus, she ended up getting thrown into the O.W.C.A-Traz- and it just happened to be the same cell I was in. It took a few days, but she finally began to trust and warm up to me."

Dad hesitated again. "Obviously, Perry felt bad for what he did, because Melissa was set free a little over a week later. However, after just a couple more weeks... She came to visit me. That... That's when she told me that she was pregnant with you- and she was scared. So worried she wouldn't be able to raise you right, she came to me."

He chuckled. "Of course, it happened to be about the time I had begun to put the Anti-O.W.C.A. plan to action by hinting it to L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. I told her about it, told her where it would be, and how to get in... And she agreed to it."

"I see..." I mused, glancing at the ground.

"But I was- believe it or not- always sad that I had missed you growing up." I scoffed as he continued. "You were four when we met, and it wasn't a couple more years until I finally had the chance to tell you that you're my daughter. Even then, I was back in the O.W.C.A-Traz, so we hadn't been able to really see each other much."

Dad glanced down at my stomach, and the evil glimmer that I hadn't seen with him in the past week returned to his eyes. "I guess that's the good thing about the fact I'll be a grandfather."

I scoffed. "If you think we'll let you anywhere near the baby when he or she is born, you've got another thing coming."

 **(Perry's POV)**

I froze when I heard what Dennis said. As Courtney retorted, "You've got another thing coming," I got up from my chair and crept to the doorway, from which I could see both rabbits.

"That's why I might need to use force," Dennis smirked. "Who knows? Maybe I'll come and take my grandchild as my own."

"Don't you dare." Courtney's voice was cold but shaky.

"I'm not promising anything." When Dennis reach his paw through the bars just far enough to run his fingers over Courtney's stomach, she nervously whacked his paw back and moved out of his reach.

"Twins would be perfect," Dennis sneered, pausing in thought. "We could each have one. I take one, and you keep the other to raise."

"Y-Y-Y-You..." Courtney inhaled deeply to try and steady herself. "You're a monster," she finally said before racing back upstairs. For some reason, Dennis seemed almost upset she was gone again.

When I was sure Courtney was gone, I snapped, "Well, what did you expect?"

Dennis' head whipped over to me, and his eyes immediately narrowed. "How much did you see?" he snarled.

"Enough." I glared at Dennis as I walked over to his cage. "You were threatening her, her child, and, technically, my son with what you said. What did you expect?"

The white rabbit glared at the ground and wouldn't answer me. I sighed and shook my head. "I don't get why you enjoy being evil. What's the point, if all you get from it is reproach from the only family you have? You don't even ever win!"

"You don't, either!" Dennis snapped, glaring back up at me. "That's the thing. No side- good or evil- has ever won! We keep batting back and forth. Evil's risen to heights, but then good's knocked it down and taken its spot. Then the cycle just continues! It's a continuous game of cat and mouse- good versus evil, each one temporarily taking the other down."

A sneer came on Dennis' face as he continued. "You've won just as much as I have."

I held my own glare at him while realizing- he was right. For years, it had seemed like good had been winning. Then L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. vanished and started the Anti-O.W.C.A. They were at the top for four years, until we managed to take them down again.

Dennis smirked, obviously sensing my thoughts. "So you understand, then."

"Good night, Dennis," I snapped, turning to walk back into the dining room. After all, how else could I reply to what he just told me?

 **(Courtney's POV)**

The next day, I didn't wake up until late morning. Made sense.

As I got out of bed and went downstairs, my conversation with Dad the night before was the only thing running through my mind. Mom was like me?

Talking to Dad had only made me more curious about Mom. Did she really love me? Did she miss me? Did she actually somehow fall for Dad?

After I ate, I gathered Michael, Perry, Pixie, and even Emily together.

"What is it?" Michael asked curiously.

I inhaled deeply. "I... I want to find my mom."


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm already updating! *feels proud of self* I had originally planned for this to be combined with the next chapter, but this part turned out longer than expected ;P**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHIENAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Courtney's POV)**

Everyone else unanimously blinked. "Really?" Michael asked in surprise.

I nodded. "I... I need to know more about her. I want to see her myself. Also... I think my memory gave me a lead on how to find her."

My mate and his other family exchanged some glances. "If you feel up to it," Michael finally agreed with a grin.

"What's your lead?" Perry asked curiously.

Pixie stayed silent, to my surprise.

"Can I help?" Emily chirped hopefully.

I laughed. "I think that's up to your parents."

Emily looked over at Perry and Pixie with a hopeful expression on her face. Pixie hesitated. "Emily... Melissa's dangerous..."

"Mom, I'm ten years old," Emily reminded with a sigh. "It's only four years until I'm an adult."

"Don't remind me," Pixie grinned.

"Why don't you let us think about it for a bit, okay?" Perry asked. "We'll tell you our answer in a couple of hours."

"Fine."

"So what's your lead?" Perry inquired again, turning back to me.

"In my dream- or memory, or whatever- when Mom left the alley, I saw the address of the building next to it. I think it's a start, right?"

"Yeah," Perry nodded. "As long as it's correct, we should be able to find that alley and look for her. Even if she's not there anymore, we could probably figure out where she went from there."

Pixie hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this, Courtney? The last I remember, Melissa wasn't much better than Dennis."

Perry shot his mate a look- although I couldn't quite tell what kind it was. "Look, I'm sorry," Pixie defended. "But can you blame me, after what happened?"

I remembered what Dad had told me last night. Perry and Pixie had a surprising amount of history with Mom. I made a mental note to ask one of them about it later. "Pixie, I want to at least meet her," I answered firmly. "See her for myself."

"I understand," Pixie sighed.

"Well, then," began Perry, "we'd better start looking for her."

 **(...)**

Perry and Pixie had gone into another room to talk privately for about fifteen minutes. Probably about Emily.

When they came out again, they exchanged a look before turning to Emily. "Emily, we think you should stay here."

"What?!"

Pixie sighed. "We can't all go, sweetheart. It'll need to be a small team, and we can't leave Dennis alone here." Lydia and her family had left on a trip to her dad's a few days before, so they couldn't keep an eye on the house while everyone else was gone anymore.

"Besides, your mother will be staying here with you," Perry finished.

Now it was Pixie's turn to snap, "What?!"

Perry sighed. "Pixie, you and I both know how you'd react to seeing Melissa right now- way too rashly. And Emily can't stay here and watch Dennis by herself."

Pixie glared down at the ground. "I guess you're right," she muttered finally.

Her mate chuckled and gently kissed her before turning to Michael and I. "Are you two ready to go?"

My mate and I exchanged a glance and nodded. "Yeah. Let's get going."

 **(...)**

We all walked down the sidewalks on four feet, so as to not attract attention from the humans walking all over Danville. Not like two platypi, who look almost exactly the same, and one rabbit walking down the sidewalk together in an organized line wouldn't draw any attention, but it was the best we could do.

I glanced at myself every time we walked past a shop window and sighed. I knew I had been pregnant for over a week now, but I hadn't realized that it was beginning to show. Now when I looked at myself, I saw that my stomach had a fairly large bump on it.

 _Great_. I inwardly groaned. I was excited that I was going to become a mother... I wasn't excited for the looks that came with the pregnancy process. It made me look weaker, and I didn't like that.

Michael must have sensed something about my thoughts because he turned and gently nuzzled me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I wasn't going to tell him the thought that had been currently running through my head, but there was another big thought I had as well. "I guess I'm just worried about what'll happen when we find Mom."

"Hopefully, nothing bad," Perry replied. "But, then again, knowing Melissa, it's hard to be sure."

I paused. "Yeah... Dad told me you and Pixie have quite the history with her... But he didn't say what it is."

"Well..." Perry inhaled. "Michael, did Dennis tell you the story?"

"Yeah," my mate answered.

"Alright, then you don't have to pay attention if you don't want. Courtney, about fifteen years ago, when Pixie was an Agent in Training, well... Melissa had captured her."

I blinked. "Why?"

"I'm not completely sure," admitted Perry. "I had already started falling for Pixie then- and, as I found out later, vice-versa- so, somehow, Melissa found out she was one of my few weaknesses and captured her to get to me."

"Well... No wonder you sent her to the O.W.C.A-Traz," I blinked.

"Yeah, but... Then I realized that she wasn't a villain. Not really- she was just neutral. Not good, not bad. That was the first time she had really done something that made her seem like she was picking a side. Which is why I'm still confused as to why she really captured Pixie in the first place- she wasn't a villain and didn't want to be one, so why did she act so much like one then?"

Perry sighed. "That's something I'm hoping to find out today."

(...)

I paused and looked at the address of a certain building. "This... This is it," I said quietly, looking over into the alleyway on the right. "This is the place."

Michael nuzzled me again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Y-yeah."

"Alright, let's go." Michael and I followed Perry into the edge of the alley, where we got up on two feet again.

I gripped Michael's paw as we stepped further in and froze when I heard a sharp, scraping noise. I stared down at the end of the alley, and, the closer we got, I was able to begin to make out a figure, who had been blending into the bricks behind her.

It was a dusty brown rabbit with silver eyes- just like in my memory, just how Dad described her. It was Mom.

 **And on that bombshell…. xD xD**


	9. Chapter 9

**It's finally time for you to meet the famous Melissa mentioned since the first story in the series! :D Ready? I hope you like her xD xD I do**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Courtney's POV)**

Mom was sitting on the dumpster at the back right corner of the alley, sunlight shining down on the very end of it, while the rest of the alleyway was blanketed in shadows- that was probably the reason she didn't notice us. The almost rhythmic scraping noise I was hearing WAS something caused by her. She was holding a large glass shard in her paw, sharpening it on a rock.

Suddenly, I wasn't able to move anymore. I stood perfectly still in my spot in the shadows, Michael next to me. He looked over to Perry, who nodded in understanding. Michael stayed behind in the shadows with me, while Perry stepped out into the sunlight. "Melissa."

The scraping stopped. Mom placed the shard and rock on the top of the dumpster with a clang. "Perry." Her voice was cold, but not icy, like Dad's. Just...cold. "Never thought I'd see you again."

"You and me both."

"So why are you here?" Mom resumed her sharpening. "Is there another prison you've decided you want to whisk me off to?"

Perry shook his head. "No, Melissa."

For a second, Mom seemed surprised. "Well, still, you must have really wanted to find me, counting the fact you actually did. How long have you been combing the streets for me?"

"I actually just began looking this morning." I was grateful to Perry for not bringing me up at all- I wanted to do that at my own pace.

"Then how did you find me so quickly?"

Perry hesitated. "I had a bit of help."

Mom raised an eyebrow but said nothing on the subject. "So," she said, staring down at the glass shard and rock in her paws, "don't tell me you're still with that girl. What's her name? Um..."

"Pixie," Perry replied, now obviously a little irritated with the way Mom brought his mate up. "And, actually, yes, I am. She's my mate."

"I'm not surprised," Mom sighed. "For how long?"

"Actually, since a couple of weeks after I got her back."

Mom raised her eyebrow again but let Perry continue. "We have a son and a daughter now."

I noticed that Mom's eyes immediately narrowed down at her paws, and her sharpening movements got more violent- resulting in her almost cutting herself with the glass. "Lucky you," she snarled.

Michael let go of my paw and gave me a smile before stepping out of the shadows and next to Perry. Mom paused, and her eyes widened as she set the rock and glass down again. Then she smirked, "Sorry, I blinked. Which one are you again, Perry?"

Perry sighed and shook his head while Michael chuckled. Mom sighed and stared down at her lap. "You know, you're not the only one here who's a parent, Perry."

I inhaled sharply and froze again. She was actually bringing me up?

Michael exchanged a quick glance with Perry before the latter feigned surprise and said, "You... You have a child, Melissa?"

Mom looked away, but I did manage to catch a hurt expression in her eyes. "I hate to say it, but I... I guess I have you to thank for it."

"Oh?" Had I not known Perry, Mom's wording would have made me very uncomfortable.

"I... I actually fell in love in the O.W.C.A-Traz... That's not why I'm mad at you."

So she WAS angry at him... But not for the reason we all assumed...

Perry crossed his arms. "Then why ARE you? I helped let you go free again a couple of weeks later, and this is the first time we've seen each other since then..."

Mom slammed her paw on the dumpster. "And THAT'S why I'm angry with you."

I couldn't really see his face, but I was sure Perry couldn't resist a smirk here. "I didn't realize you missed me so much."

"No, not about THAT!" Mom sounded exasperated. "You... You let me go again. And didn't give me a choice to stay."

This obviously caught both Perry and my mate off guard. "Wait, WHAT?"

Mom's eyes narrowed, but she was looking over at the wall. "You know what life is like, living in the alleys? For me, it's practically a fight for survival every day. Finding food is nearly impossible, and I can think of WEEKS when I've gone without eating anything."

She paused. "In the O.W.C.A-Traz, I might have been caged up, but... No matter what, I got one meal per day. No one was able to attack me in the cell. I... I had the man I loved there with me. Now he's still in prison while I'm out here."

"Is life here really that bad?" Michael asked quietly, and I remembered with a start that he had been in the O.W.C.A-Traz for a bit years before.

Mom didn't answer.

"Who did you fall in love with?" Perry asked. Of course, we all knew, but he was acting as if he had never met me- and he was doing a really good job.

For some reason, Mom answered this one. "D-Dennis."

"DENNIS?" Michael had never been that good at acting, so I was really shocked that Perry was so good at it. Maybe that was partly why he was still O.W.C.A's top agent. He sounded truly, genuinely shocked at this. "The rogue rabbit?!"

"Y-Yeah." Mom swallowed. "We... We had a child together."

I self-consciously glanced at the ground as Mom continued. "A daughter. B-but I wasn't able to raise her... Not here, not by myself. So I... I gave her up to L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. when she was only a few days old."

It was time. I inhaled deeply and stepped out of the shadows and next to my mate. "Well, your daughter's come home," I said coldly.

 **(Michael's POV)**

Ten general emotions all seemed to flood through Melissa in a matter of seconds. "C-C-Courtney?"

My mate crossed her arms, her breathing shaky. "It's me."

Before me, my mate, or Dad could react, Melissa was off the dumpster and holding Courtney in her arms. After a couple of seconds, she backed away, tears in her eyes. "L-look at you," she smiled. "You look so much like your father."

Melissa paused and stared at the ground. "How... How did you find me?"

"With help from them." Courtney gestured to me and Dad with a nod of her head.

"You came with them?"

Courtney nodded. "They already knew most all of that... They were just giving me time."

"I see." Melissa shot Dad and me a gaze that was either hostile or thankful. "B-but what about the Anti-O.W.C.A?"

"I betrayed them," my mate replied coolly. "A little bit less than a year ago."

"Oh... I'm glad," Melissa admitted. "I knew that as long as your father was suggesting it to me that it wasn't good."

"Then why did you even drop me off there in the first place?!" Courtney snapped suddenly. I knew that she was finally able to let out her feelings she had experienced against Melissa for so long- since we were kids.

"Courtney, you were watching the whole time, weren't you?" Courtney nodded angrily.

"Then you know what I told Perry and...the other one." RIGHT, she hadn't really been introduced to me yet.

"What?" came my mate's cold voice.

"You know what I said about how hard it is living in the streets." Melissa stared at the ground. "A fight for survival every day- it's nearly impossible for me on my own to survive. Courtney, had I kept you... You would have been dealing with the same thing.

"I... I couldn't see my baby starve to death. I couldn't see her get ripped apart by dogs. It killed me to lose you, sweetheart, but..." She inhaled. "I knew the Anti-O.W.C.A. would still be safer than living with me. Everything I did was for your protection."

Courtney hesitated and stared at the ground. "R-really?" she asked quietly.

Melissa gently pulled Courtney into another hug. "Yes, really. Now..." She separated from Courtney again and grinned. "Would you mind explaining that bump right there?" Melissa pointed at Courtney's stomach, which, now that I thought about it, was almost twice as large as normal.

"Well..." Courtney glanced over at me, and I nodded. This was Courtney's mom- if Dennis knew, Melissa definitely should know.

Courtney inhaled and turned back to Melissa. "I've been pregnant for about a week and a half now."

Melissa beamed, but I could see in her eyes that she was sad she had missed so much of her daughter's life. "T-that's great! Who's the father?"

My mate grabbed my paw and looked over at me before turning back to Melissa. "This is Michael, Perry and Pixie's son... And my mate."

"Oh." Melissa blinked. "Oh, wow. How did Dennis react to hearing that?"

"Honestly, better than you'd expect," Courtney admitted.

"Wait... You actually went to the O.W.C.A-Traz to tell him? I had expected you to say that he didn't know."

"Well..." Courtney inhaled. "That's the thing..."

However, before Courtney could explain, a phone began to ring. "Sorry." Dad pulled out his phone from his fur pocket. "Hello?

"Hey, Pixie, what is it?" I caught Melissa rolling her eyes before going back to watching Dad.

 **(Perry's POV)**

For some reason, my mate's voice sounded like she was both worried and had been crying because her voice shook when she asked, "H-Have you f-f-found Melissa?"

"Yes, actually. We've been talking to her for a while now. Sweetheart, what happened?"

Pixie burst into tears, concerning me even more. "I-it's D-Dennis..."

"What?!" I immediately regretted how harsh my voice sounded then. Whatever had happened with Dennis, it was affecting Pixie badly.

"P-P-Perry, h-h-he's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" I was trying really hard to not get too rough with my tone, but now I was worried both for my mate and whatever had happened.

"H-He escaped."

"What?!" I gasped again.

"I-I don't know how it happened..." Pixie's voice cracked. "B-But after you left, Emily went upstairs, angry she couldn't go with you. After a little over an hour, she hadn't come back down yet. I was concerned and went upstairs to talk with her, but when I came down again, Dennis was gone."

I was silent as Pixie continued. "I-I-I swear, I was only up there for five minutes, s-s-so I don't know how he- I-I'm so sorry...!"

"Pixie, it's okay," I reassured. "The exact same thing would have happened if I were in your position."

Pixie sniffled as I continued. "Somehow, Dennis managed to slowly work on escaping over the past days. He just chose now to complete that. Don't worry- well be home soon. Okay?"

"O-o-okay."

I smiled. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you, too."

"Dad, what happened?" Michael asked nervously.

I inhaled deeply. "Apparently, Dennis tricked us and managed to escape while we were away."

"Wait, what?" Melissa blinked. "How did he escape the O.W.C.A-Traz like that?"

"Long story short," Courtney began, "a couple weeks ago, he not only managed to escape his cell at the O.W.C.A-Traz, he managed to destroy it completely. We were assigned to keep him in custody in our house while they rebuilt the cell, but, apparently, he managed to escape from there, too."

Melissa hesitated and glanced at the ground. "I... I see..."

"Come on, we need to get going," I said to Michael and Courtney.

"Wait."

"Yeah, Melissa?"

The brown rabbit hesitated again. "Could I come with you?"

I was sure all three of us blinked at that. "Really?"

Melissa nodded and smiled over at Courtney. "I... I just reunited with my daughter. I don't know about you, Courtney, but I don't want to be separated from you again. So... Could I please become a real part of your family?"

My eyes widened, and I exchanged a glance with Michael. "That was fast," he commented.

Courtney paused and glanced at the ground. "We'll probably never see her again if she doesn't come with us," she pointed out.

"You're right," I sighed. Pixie might kill me, but this was Courtney's mom. "Sure, Melissa, you can come with us."

 **Welp….**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, so…. I'm trying to include less of an AN for each of my chapters now xD xD xD So I might only put a disclaimer before some later chapters xP**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

We all began to walk back home in an awkward silence. _Did that seriously just happen?_ I thought to myself. Had we left to go find Melissa just that morning, and were we seriously taking her back home?

Dad met my eye and gestured to Courtney. I got her attention, and the three of us asked Melissa to wait a minute. We all walked into the edge of another alleyway, and the three of us separated from Melissa.

"So what do we do with Melissa when we get home?" Dad asked Courtney. "You seemed to have some plan for what to do."

Courtney nodded. "I do. And I know everything she's said and what you've said about her being neutral, but I still don't trust her enough for her to freely walk around the house. Since Dad somehow managed to break out, there's an empty cell we can put her in."

"Good idea," Dad agreed.

We turned to walk back over to Melissa but froze as we heard a voice. "M-M-Melissa?"

Melissa whirled over to the voice immediately, and all of our heads whipped over as well. "D-Dennis?!" she gasped.

Sure enough, it was Dennis. The newly escaped white rabbit was on the sidewalk, staring at Melissa in shock. I felt Courtney freeze next to me, but I managed to nuzzle her back into the shadows with Dad and me.

"I-Is it really you?" Dennis asked cautiously, stepping into the alley.

Melissa nodded, her eyes glistening. "Y-Yes, Dennis, it is."

"I...never thought I'd see you again..."

There was silence for a minute, then Dennis suddenly picked a large glass shard off the ground and rushed for Melissa. Before any of us could react, he had her pinned against the wall and was holding the shard against her like a knife- and it was probably as sharp as one.

I began to rush forward to help, but Courtney held me back. I stared at my mate in shock. _Seriously? Your parents are about to_ kill _each other!_

 _Wait,_ her return look said. Although she looked nervous, Courtney seemed to sense something I didn't. I decided to not give us away and just watch quietly.

Tears were dripping out of Melissa's eyes now; she didn't look scared, just sad. "D-Dennis, please. Y-You know I didn't have a choice when I was freed from the O.W.C.A-Traz. I-I didn't want to leave you."

"I know you didn't have a choice," Dennis growled quietly. "A choice to leave or stay. But you promised you would visit me."

"Dennis, I-I-"

"YOU SAID YOU WOULD VISIT ME!" he snapped, his voice breaking- which surprised me. "Instead, all you do is come to me ONCE, telling me about our child, then you just leave again?! You didn't even tell me if I had a son or a daughter!"

"It was hard for me to lose Courtney," Melissa sobbed. "Please, Dennis, understand!"

"But I waited for you for YEARS," Dennis replied quietly- and dangerously. "The first few months, I DID understand. I understood you were getting over giving up our daughter. But you never visited me after that."

He paused and stared at the ground before glaring up at Melissa again. "You said you loved me!" he snapped, his voice cracking. This was the first time I noticed that there were tears in his eyes, too. "But you moved on, didn't you?! That's why you never visited!"

Melissa shook her head quickly, tears dripping down her cheeks by now. "D-Dennis, I-I-I..." She paused and inhaled deeply, placing her paw on his cheek. "Dennis, I still love you," she murmured softly. "S-So much. The only reason I was never able to visit you is because I had to survive. I told you how hard it is living out here in the streets. I needed to make sure I had food and shelter before I could visit you."

She swallowed and stared at the ground. "B-By then, it was too late in the day to visit. D-D-Dennis, I missed you so much."

"M-Melissa..."

Melissa smiled weakly and gently maneuvered her paw over to the glass shard Dennis was holding. His grip on it had loosened enough that she was able to slide it out of his paw and replace it with HER paw. She turned back to Dennis and gently pressed her forehead up against his. "I still love you, Dennis. I promise that won't ever change."

"Melie..."

I snickered, as I had forgotten until just then what Dennis' nickname for her was. But Courtney elbowed me- hard. I remembered with a start this was her first time seeing her parents together ever. It must have been special to her. Keeping this in mind, I zipped my mouth shut as I watched them.

By now, Melissa had gently pressed her mouth up against Dennis'. When they broke apart, Dennis exhaled and looked back at her. "Then could you come with me?"

"Where?"

"To L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's new headquarters."

Melissa hesitated and shot a quick glance at us in the shadows. "I-I'm sorry, Dennis... I can't. You know I'm not evil."

Dennis stared down at the ground. "I knew it was a long shot." He looked back up at Melissa and smiled. "You've always been your own person. Just... Know that that's where I'll be. Okay?"

The brown rabbit nodded and smiled. Dennis pulled her into another kiss before quietly walking off, leaving Melissa standing there, obviously very effected by what just happened.

"I... I never knew they really loved each other," admitted Courtney softly. "I always thought that D-Dad... T-T-That he... M-Mom... I-I..."

"Sh," I soothed, gently pulling her close. Courtney was trying to say that she had always been worried that Dennis had just...wanted a child and that he used Melissa to get what he wanted. Honestly, that's what I had assumed, too. However, that had obviously just been proven wrong. "I get it."

Dad had already left the shadows to go and talk with Melissa. "Are you ready to keep going, or are you having second thoughts?"

Melissa quickly shook her head. "Did you miss me turning down his offer to go with him?" she asked irritably. "I turned it down because I'm coming with you."

"Alright, then."

 **(...)**

As we continued to walk home, I noticed that Melissa kept shooting glances over at Courtney's stomach- which was bugging both her and me. "You said you've been pregnant for a little less than two weeks?"

Courtney nodded slowly. "Yeah... Why...?"

"It's just..." Melissa paused, and a small grin came onto her face. "I remember when I was pregnant with you and how I looked at that point. I specifically remember that my pregnancy didn't show that much yet."

I could tell that this made my mate feel very awkward, but she put that aside. "Lucky you."

Melissa's grin just grew. "But that was normal for any rabbit pregnant with one child. Courtney, that's-" she gestured to Courtney's stomach with her head- "not normal."

Courtney stopped in place. "Are you implying Michael and I will have more than one child?" she asked, shooting Melissa a cautious look.

Melissa shrugged. "It's likely."

 _Please don't let that be the case. I can only handle one!_ I shoot Dad a nervous look that says, _"If it does become the case, PLEASE help me!"_

 _"Don't worry,"_ is Dad's replying and slightly amused look. _"Your mother and I will help even if you only have one child."_

 **(Courtney's POV)**

 _Oh, please be wrong, Mom. Please! I can't have twins!_ I wasn't necessarily worried about raising multiple children, but Dad's voice rang in my mind. _"Twins would be perfect. We could each have one. I take one, and you keep the other to raise."_

However, before I could say anything, we were back home. I followed Perry in, while Michael stayed further back with Mom in case she tried something.

As soon as Perry went inside, Pixie walked up to him, and Perry immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "It's okay," he said gently, while I quietly watched from the sidelines. "He tricked us. The same thing would have happened in my position. We will get Dennis back, sweetheart. Don't worry."

"O-Okay." Pixie inhaled, backed away, and looked to the door as Michael and Mom stepped into the house. Her eyes narrowed immediately. "Melissa," she snarled.

Mom had a similar expression. "Pixie."

"Perry, what is SHE doing here?!" Pixie snapped, whirling to her mate.

Perry put his paws out defensively. "Pixie, I know you two have a rough history together. But we're trying to give Melissa another chance, so I need you to try and get along, okay?"

"Get along?!" Pixie echoed. "You're kidding, right?"

Mom crossed her arms, her facial expression not very different from Pixie's. "I'm not any more excited about this than you are, trust me. I'm only here because I missed my daughter, and I can't lose her." She turned to me. "So... Where do I sleep?"

"How about in the garbage where you belong?" Pixie offered, a growl to her voice.

As Mom whirled back to her and gave her a sharp retort, Michael walked over to me. "So our moms are trash-talking each each other..." Michael hesitated. "What do we do?"

I simply grinned at the scene in front of me and crossed my arms. Mom and Pixie had gotten into a full-blown argument, yelling at each other while Perry tried in vain to calm them. "Sit back and enjoy the show?"

Michael laughed and kissed my cheek. "Well, I think we should help Dad."

"I guess you're right..." Michael and I exchanged a quick glance before turning to our parents. "Mom!" we said in unison.

Both females paused and turned to us, and Perry shot us a grateful look. "Melissa, I'm sorry, but we can't trust you yet," he replied, looking guiltily over at Mom. "You can't have free roam around the house yet."

Mom raised an eyebrow. "Then where do I stay?"

Perry gestured into the living room and to the cage that Dennis had recently broken out of. Emily was sitting on the floor by it, silently watching the rest of us interact.

"A cage?!" snapped Mom. "Really?!"

"It was my idea," I said firmly.

Michael took over with the explanation. "We're not about to let you loose in the house..." He gripped my paw and continued. "Especially not with a baby on the way."

Mom paused and glanced at the ground. "I guess... I understand."

"You'll have to prove we can trust you before we can let you out of the cage," Perry said.

"Fine," Mom muttered. "And I guess going willingly will help?"

Perry nodded. "Definitely."

Mom gave a heavy sigh. "Alright." She and Perry walked into the living room, so she could get into the cage.

I watched her get in nervously. Letting her come home wasn't a mistake... Right?


	11. Chapter 11

**Alright, guys, this is a longer chapter than my normal ones. However, only TWO big things happen in this chapter (and the latter one is especially big).**

 **I know I said earlier on that this would probably be the shortest story in the series, but all these chapters are turning out longer than I thought they would be, so this story will definitely be longer than I had originally planned. When I began the story, I had fifteen chapters planned out; it has turned into seventeen chapters (without adding anything new into the story xP), but if these chapter keep being longer than I had planned, this story might very well end up having nineteen chapters or so xD xD**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Pixie's POV)**

Lydia and her family got home from their trip about an hour later. When they got home, none of them even questioned the brown rabbit in the cage Dennis had previously been in- except Lydia, who curiously asked later. Instead, they settled right back in, obviously not surprised at all.

That evening, during dinner, there was silence at both tables until Perry spoke up. "Dennis is still on the loose," he reminded. "We've got to find him and take him back to the O.W.C.A-Traz."

Courtney paused and set her fork in her plate. "What good's it gonna do?" she asked curiously. "He's escaped, what, four times already?"

"She makes a good point, Perry," I admitted, glancing over at my mate.

"Well, no matter how long Dennis stays put in his cell, it's better than having him loose on the Tri-State Area," Perry replied with a sigh.

"Could you just give him a chance?" was Courtney's slightly irritated response.

Perry sighed again. "Courtney, I have given him lots of chances, and every single time he has stabbed us in the back. I don't want that to happen again."

"But he can change!" Courtney protested. As she raised her voice slightly, I saw Michael and Emily pause and begin to watch. "You saw him with Mom!"

"Yes, he nearly killed her," Perry said, obviously trying to stay calm.

"Yet he didn't!"

"He won't be that soft with the rest if Danville, and it's my job to keep him from doing anything bad to it!" I winced as I heard how desperate his tone sounded.

No one else heard it, and I only did because I knew Perry so well. Obviously, all the recent events had been stressing him and pressuring him a lot more than he let show.

"Well, what good is throwing him in jail AGAIN gonna do?!" Courtney challenged, angrily rising to her feet. "He won't stay put!"

"There's nothing else I can do!" Perry snapped back, also standing up. By now, even Lydia and her family at the other table had paused and begun watching.

"Can you at least try?!"

"I don't KNOW what to do!" Perry retorted.

"Then think of something!" Courtney snarled, slamming her paws on the table before storming upstairs. Perry growled in frustration before turning and walking outside.

There was silence in the dining room for a minute or so, before I exchanged a glance with Michael. We both got up, and I went outside to check on my mate while Michael went upstairs to check on his.

Perry wasn't in the yard, but that didn't surprise me; I would have been surprised if he WAS in the yard. Instead, I stepped into the elevator in the tree and rode it down to my mate's lair. After we started a family, we had agreed that it could be our own private place to get away from all the craziness in the house when we needed.

Sure enough, Perry was resting on the couch when I made it down, staring up at the ceiling. I gave him a couple more minutes to cool off before speaking. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Perry leaned his head backwards to look at me and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry about what happened back there."

I walked over to my mate. "Perry, you're just under a lot of pressure. Courtney unknowingly added to it. The world doesn't depend on you," I finished, gently lying down on top of him. This was actually something he really needed to hear because he would begin to feel this way when he got really stressed.

"I'm top agent at O.W.C.A, Pixie," Perry sighed. "If there's a problem, everyone immediately turns to me for the solution."

"Sweetheart, no one expects you to have the answer to everything," I replied sympathetically, placing my paw on his cheek.

"Courtney does," he mumbled miserably.

I hesitated. "Courtney doesn't expect you to have the solution to EVERYTHING; just that. She looks up to you, figured you'd know exactly what to do and how to help her. It surprised Courtney when you didn't. And..." I paused and glanced down. "She's a lot like her father. If something shocks or surprises her, she responds negatively."

"I let her down when she needed me most," Perry restated.

"Perry, don't think that way."

Perry scoffed weakly. "Pixie, what other way is there?"

I paused and stared down at the ground, unable to reply. Perry sensed this and gently rubbed my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I murmured, gently nuzzling into his fur. Perry sighed and kissed the top of my head.

We stayed quietly in that position for the next several minutes. Eventually, I murmured, "Are you ready to get back to the others? The food's going to get cold soon."

Perry chuckled. "Sure."

 **(Michael's POV)**

While Mom went outside to check on Dad, I went upstairs to check on Courtney. I knew that Mom's task would be easier than mine; we were both going to talk to our mates, but Mom and Dad had been mates longer, not to mention the fact that Courtney had MUCH more of a temper than Dad, plus the wild mood swings that came with pregnancy...

I found her lying in our bed. "Courtney?"

She glanced over at me. "Hi."

I chuckled and sat down next to her on the bed, gently rubbing the top of her head near her left ear. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible," Courtney moaned back, banging her forehead on her paws. "Your dad rarely loses his temper, and yet I managed to press him to do just that."

"You're both going through a lot right now," I replied sympathetically. "It wasn't just your fault, trust me. I know from personal experience that Dad still doesn't normally lose his temper that easily."

"Still..."

I sighed. "Courtney... I-I know you're going through a lot, but... I haven't seen you get that angry in...a long time..."

It was Courtney's turn to sigh. "I know, and I'm really sorry. I just..." Her voice cracked. "Seeing Dad with Mom...s-seeing that they truly love each other... M-Michael, you know that I've actually wanted to see my whole family together for a..." She swallowed. "For a long time now. Today... F-For some reason, after what I saw today, I thought that there was actually a chance of that happening."

Courtney scoffed bitterly. "I guess that was a wild thought. Perry's right... I-It's best for Dad to be locked up where he can't hurt anyone."

"Courtney..." I sympathetically began to rub her shoulder. "My parents used to feel the same way when I first really met them. I had to be thrown in with your dad, and it was really hard for them... They thought that they wouldn't be able to reach out to me anymore." I paused and smiled. "And look where we are now. Sweetheart, there's still a chance for you and your parents to become a real family."

"It's really low," Courtney muttered.

"It is," I admitted. "But it wasn't much higher for me ten years ago." I bent down and nuzzled her cheek.

"Courtney?"

I sat back up, and Courtney followed my lead, although more slowly. Dad was standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

My mate stared at the ground. "I get it. Is it because of who my parents are?"

"What?!" Dad sounded shocked. "No!" He sighed and walked over to us. "Courtney, listen. As much as I dislike your parents, I want you to be a real family with them if it's at all possible- and I know you want that, too."

Courtney nodded as Dad continued. "I don't know how it's possible, but I want it to be possible. Right now, Courtney, I don't have any ideas on how we can turn Dennis good, but there's bound to be some way. I just haven't thought of it yet."

"I get it," Courtney replied, nodding again. "And I'm sorry, too. I know you have a lot to think about."

Dad smiled, and Courtney returned it. I grinned and gently kissed my mate's cheek. "Come on, let's go finish dinner."

 **(...)**

The next couple of weeks were extremely uneventful, minus the fact that O.W.C.A. search parties were being sent out continuously to find Dennis; each came back to HQ unsuccessfully. Part of me wanted to go on one to help, but I also didn't really want to leave Courtney's side- considering what happened to Mom when she was pregnant with me.

I knew it irritated Courtney some, but, honestly, I think she was overall grateful. I knew that she was worried enough just about becoming a mother; the fact that Dennis and the rest of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. were on the loose made this even harder for her.

One morning, when Courtney had been pregnant for about a month, I woke up to find no one else in the room. Apparently, I had slept in a bit.

After I had glanced around the other beds to make sure no one else was still asleep, I laid back down and rolled over- to see my mate still in bed next to me. "Michael?" Courtney's voice was quieter than normal. "A-Are you awake?"

"Yeah." I gently nuzzled the back of her head; she was lying on her side, facing away from me. "What is it?"

"M-My stomach hurts a bit more than normal."

"Oh..." I sat up and began to tenderly rub the side of Courtney's abdomen. I felt her relax a little. "Did that help?"

"Not much, but some." Courtney sighed weakly, and I saw her close her eyes. "C-Can you stay here with me?"

I grinned and nuzzled into her fur. "Of course. I'll stay right here and be at your beck and call until you feel better."

Courtney managed to chuckle. "T-T-Thanks."

"So what specifically is the problem?"

"I feel fairly sick to my stomach, I've got a horrible cramp in my abdomen, and I can't tell if I have a headache or am dizzy." Courtney groaned. "Or maybe it's both."

"Ah." I laid back down and began to massage Courtney's shoulders. "Is this helping?"

"A-A bit, but not an awful lot." My mate let out a small shiver- which surprised me; she didn't feel cold. "Thanks."

I smiled and kissed the back of her head. "You're my mate. It's no problem."

Once Courtney felt a bit less tense, I stopped and simply cuddled up against her, keeping her company while she was sick. We stayed like this just about all morning.

Suddenly, Courtney jolted upright and let out a yelp of pain. "Courtney?!" I shot up next to her and placed my paws on her shoulders.

She exhaled shakily, and I helped her lay back down again. "T-T-That was a strong kick," she said, still seeming shaky.

I studied her anxiously. "Do you really think that's all that it was?"

Courtney managed to nod. "F-For now, yeah. I'll get back to you in a few minutes." She paused. "Michael, could you please get me a cup of water?"

"Of course." I smiled and gently kissed her forehead before standing up. "I'll be right back."

I went downstairs, grabbed a cup, and went over to the sink. Mom walked over to me as I filled up the cup. "How's Courtney doing?"

Everyone kind of knew what was going on with me and Courtney and that she was sick, as they had come upstairs earlier, wondering why she and I weren't downstairs.

I smiled sympathetically as I turned off the water. "Still not very well. This is for her." I gestured to the cup of water.

"Honestly, I can't imagine how she's feeling," Mom admitted. "I think the pregnancy and all that are worse for animals who give birth directly."

"That makes sense," I nodded. We were silent for a couple of moments before I smiled. "I guess I'd better get back to Courtney."

Mom nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

I walked back upstairs and into the room. "Courtney, I'm back," I said gently.

My mate just moaned in reply, and I hurried over to her. "Courtney? Are you okay?"

Courtney groaned and bit her lip. "The pain increased a bit while you were gone."

"Oh." I sat back down next to her on the bed. "I have your water..."

"T-Thanks," she gasped. I gently placed my free paw under her and helped her sit up. However, she couldn't stay upright on her own, so she leaned back against me.

I placed the cup to her lips and wrapped a supporting arm around her as she took sips of the water. It concerned me that she could only take a couple of sips before pausing and breathing heavily.

Suddenly, Courtney jerked sharply and let out a yelp of pain. I quickly placed the cup on the floor and laid her down again. "Courtney?!"

"M-M-Michael!" she gasped. "I-I t-t-think the baby's c-coming…!"

"What?! R-Really?!" Courtney managed to nod.

 _Oh, gosh..._ "O-Okay... Courtney, just relax and keep breathing. Stay calm," I instructed, gripping her paw.

This made me feel slightly bad because, although I seemed calm on the outside, I was freaking out inwardly. _What do I do?!_ I didn't want to leave Courtney's side, but I needed to get help!

Luckily, that's when Annie- Lydia and Caleb's daughter- walked by the room. _Oh, thank goodness!_ "Annie!" I called.

 **(Perry's POV)**

We were all relaxing downstairs in the living room- except for Emily, who had to go to O.W.C.A. that day because of her training- when Annie came racing downstairs. "Mommy!" she called anxiously.

Lydia, who was resting on the couch with Caleb, looked over at her daughter. "Annie, what is it?"

"Courtney's giving birth!"

At that, she grabbed everyone's attention. Pixie came rushing into the living room from the kitchen, and Melissa- who had been sitting on the floor in her cage- shot to her feet. "What?!"

Annie nodded, and Lydia immediately vanished in a cloud of purple magic- probably teleporting up to Courtney and Michael. Caleb sat awkwardly on the couch for a moment before asking, "So I'll just stay here, then?"

Melissa anxiously began pacing in her cage. "Melissa, relax. Courtney will be fine," I reassured, closing my laptop.

"I just... I'd feel better if I could be there with her..." Melissa scowled, still pacing. "I'd probably feel better if I weren't trapped in this cage."

"I'm worried, too, Perry," Pixie admitted, sitting down on the floor next to me.

I sighed. "I'm not completely at ease either. But I know Lydia well enough to trust both Courtney's and our grandchild's life in her hands."

Pixie sighed as well. "I guess you're right..."

"Well, I don't trust her, and this is MY daughter!" Melissa snapped.

"That doesn't change anything!" Pixie retorted.

"Ladies!" I said firmly.

Pixie looked at the ground and apologized, but Melissa just glared in our direction.

 **(...)**

Pixie started getting anxious again after about thirty minutes had gone by. "What's taking so long?" she fretted.

"Sweetheart, this is normal," I replied.

My mate just groaned. "I hope everything's okay..."

"I'm sure it is."

Despite my calm appearance, I was fairly nervous myself on the inside, so I leapt to my feet when Lydia came back downstairs.

"Did everything go okay?" Melissa asked nervously.

Lydia, who was grinning, nodded. "Everyone's fine."

All three of us exhaled in relief. "Can we go and see them?"

"I think it would be best to wait until Michael calls you up," Lydia replied, still grinning.

"You're right," I agreed.

It was another few minutes before we heard a voice. "Mom! Dad! Want to meet the new members of the family?"

Pixie and I turned to see Michael at the top of the stairs, beaming. "Of course!" Pixie and I raced up to our son, and Pixie paused when we reached him. "Wait... 'Members'?"

"She was carrying twins," Michael replied, still grinning.

"I knew it!" Melissa called triumphantly from her cage in the living room, obviously overhearing.

Pixie glared down the stairs, even though she couldn't see the rabbit. I smiled and hugged my son. "Congratulations, buddy."

"Thanks, Dad." He backed away. "Come on! I can't wait for you to meet them."

I grinned over at my mate before following our son into the room. The first difference I noticed was the mini tent over Michael and Courtney's bed; Lydia must have added that with her magic for privacy for the new family.

Michael walked over to his bed- me and Pixie following- and gently opened a flap of the tent, revealing Courtney resting on the bed. I caught two tiny figures nuzzling into her fur and smiled.

My son kissed Courtney's forehead before reaching down and tenderly picking up one of the little ones. It let out a protestant squeak at being separated from its mother, but soon relaxed in Michael's paws.

"Mom, Dad," he grinned, "this is Triston..."

Michael handed his son to Pixie, who carefully took him into her own paws. Triston nuzzled blindly into Pixie's fur, either for warmth or to feel safe again. He was a rabbit like his mom, and he was mostly an dull orange-pink because he didn't have any fur yet. He was still adorable, though.

Our son had already bent back to pick up Triston's sibling. I held my paws out as Michael finished. "And this is Alicia."

He placed Alicia in my paws, and I gently began to cradle her. What surprised me was that, unlike her twin brother, she was actually not a rabbit, but a platypus. As her species was different, she stared up at me with wide, brown eyes.

Most platypi have at least fifty percent of their fur when they hatch, but, since Alicia was born directly instead of having extra developmental time in an egg, she only had a slight bit more fur than her brother. Another thing most platypi could do was speak at least a few words, but, for the same reasons, she only let out a squeak as she stared curiously at me.

I chuckled and gently stroked her forehead with my thumb before glancing over to Triston. Alicia the platypus and Triston the rabbit...my grandchildren.

 **Welp, folks, this is what has been foreshadowed since the first chapter xD And there's still (at least) six chapters left I:}**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, I was supposed to update this two days ago, but I completely forgot… xD xD Whoops**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Perry's POV)**

I gently cradled Alicia in my paws for a few more minutes. Although she could see, she still wasn't even an hour old yet, so she began to try and scramble out of my paws to get back to Courtney. Sensing this, I gently placed her back next to her mother, and Alicia immediately began to cuddle back into Courtney's fur.

At about the same time, Triston began to let out squeaks of distress at being separated from Courtney. However, unlike his sister, he couldn't see and thus, didn't know where his mom was. All he knew was that he wasn't near her anymore.

Pixie carefully set him down next to Courtney; however, he couldn't see, so he didn't realize how close he was to her and Alicia. He continued to let out panicked squeaks.

Alicia sensed this. I watched in amazement as she padded away from the security of her mother and over to her twin brother. She gently touched Triston with her tail and pulled him closer, quieting and calming him down. Alicia then carefully led Triston into Courtney's fur and pressed up next to him.

Michael grinned and bent down to his new infants as Courtney gently nuzzled the twins. I grinned as well. "So is Alicia the older twin?"

My son shook his head. "Actually, that's Triston. Allie just seems older because platypi are more mature at a younger age."

"Aw!" Pixie beamed. "Is that her nickname?"

"It was Michael's involuntary idea," Courtney spoke up. "We had agreed to name her Alicia, then Michael turned to her and immediately called her Allie."

"It was instinct!" Michael defended.

Courtney laughed; she was obviously beginning to regain her strength. "We don't want to confuse the poor girl, Michael!"

Michael grinned and nuzzled her forehead. "Fine, I'll try to call her by one name for now."

"Good." Courtney returned the grin, a teasing look on her face. It was obvious she was still worn down from giving birth to twins, but she was recovering.

That was when we heard the pet door swing downstairs. Michael hopped back to his feet, being careful of his new family. "That must be Jake with Emily!"

I grinned. My daughter had become close friends with Jake, Daniel the dog's- A.K.A. Agent D's- son in the past couple of years. Jake and Emily had begun spending a lot of time together; I assumed just as friends, despite the fact that Emily had admitted once that she had a crush on him. Since lately Emily had been going to O.W.C.A. without any of us, Jake had come over to pick her up and drop her off. He had been an agent for a couple of years then, so he was allowed to drive the O.W.C.A. vehicles.

Michael looked back at Courtney. "Are you ready for her to meet her niece and nephew?"

Courtney smiled, resting her head on her paws and glancing at the infants snuggled into her fur. "Well, they're getting sleepy, but of course she can meet them."

 **(Michael's POV)**

"Great!" I beamed. "I'll be right back!"

I rushed out the room and down the stairs, still unable to believe it. Courtney had given birth! We had an adorable little son AND daughter!

When I made it downstairs, I saw Emily talking with a brown dog by the door. I smiled. Jake was a responsible and nice kid- nearly an adult. My whole family trusted him. "Hey, Jake!" Instead of greeting my little sister, I simply picked her up excitedly- despite the fact that she was now over half my size.

Jake laughed as Emily let out a surprised squeal. "Hi, Michael. I was just dropping Emily off; I'll be going now."

Emily was blushing. "Michael! Put me down!"

I simply laughed. "In a minute."

Jake chuckled. "Alright, bye, guys." He waved and walked back outside.

"Bye, Jake," Emily and I said in unison.

After he was gone, I set Emily back down on her feet. "What was that about?!" Emily hissed, seeming irritated that I had embarrassed her in front of her crush.

I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. "While you were gone, you became an Aunt."

"Wait..." Emily had to pause and think for a minute. "Courtney gave birth?!"

"Yeah!" I nodded excitedly.

Emily was now mirroring my grin. "That's great! Do I have a niece or nephew?"

"Why don't you go find out yourself?" I asked rhetorically, gesturing to the stairs. Emily nodded excitedly and raced off.

"When will I get to meet my grandchildren?" came a female voice that had gotten familiar.

I turned around and saw Melissa from her cage, staring hopefully at me. I hesitated and walked over to her. "Not until we can trust you enough to set you free."

"And how do I prove myself when I'm stuck in this cage?" Melissa demanded.

"Melissa..." I paused, feeling incredible sympathy for her. "I don't know. I'm sorry, but... You'll have to find a way. We can't risk you being on the loose with infants in the house; it's already dangerous enough with Dennis."

Melissa glared at the ground while I continued. "And Courtney would agree with me. I'm sorry, Melissa... Good luck," I said finally, turning and walking back upstairs.

 **(Courtney's POV)**

That night, I yawned and opened my eyes. I inwardly groaned when I saw Michael still asleep next to me and carefully peeked my head out of the tent Lydia had magically made. It was only eleven-thirty P.M?! Why was I STILL waking up in the middle of the night?

 _Ugh._ I sighed and gently returned to my spot in the bed. Like normal, Michael was lying next to me in bed. What was different, however, was there was a small space in between us, and Alicia and Triston were lying asleep in that space.

I smiled and gently nuzzled my children before doing the same to Michael. "Michael," I murmured.

My mate yawned and opened his eyes. "Courtney? What is it, sweetheart?"

"I need some water."

Michael was immediately alert. "Do you want me to go get it for you?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No." Gently, I nuzzled the new twins over to their father without waking them up. "I'm going to get it myself. You stay here with them."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Michael asked nervously.

"Yes," I grinned, nodding. "I need to stretch my legs, anyway."

"Alright." Michael smiled at me and gently wrapped his tail around the little ones, pulling them closer. They didn't stir.

I returned the smile and crawled out of the tent, barely managing to get to my feet when I was off the bed. I wobbled when I got to my feet but succeeded in getting out of the room before immediately leaning against the wall for support.

 _Gosh..._ I had nearly tripped just trying to walk straight. This was going to be a bit harder than I thought. I exhaled, backed away from the wall, and prepped myself to go down the stairs.

Five minutes later, I was about halfway down, when I heard a soft voice. It sounded like...like singing. I paused in confusion before sitting on the step and peeking into the rooms. Was that...Mom?

 **(Melissa's POV)**

I hummed quietly as I thought, feeling sadness and slight irritation wash over me. Why didn't they trust me? Yeah... Maybe I had captured Pixie, but Perry had already figured out that I didn't mean any REAL harm to ANYONE by it.

My humming paused when I froze, realizing something. Was it... Was it Dennis? Was the fact I fell for him their reason for distrusting me?

A larger thought took over that: _"Is their reasoning perfectly valid and justified?"_

Tears began to come into my eyes as I thought further about this. Why did I fall in love with him in the first place? He was a monster; I knew that easily. Was this the kind of thing that happens when you fall in love with someone you know you shouldn't have?

I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut as a familiar song came into my head. Despite myself, I began singing softly, unable to stop thinking about Dennis.

 _"We tied together darkness and the day... Be here with me forever in the grave."_

I somehow managed to smile weakly as I sang the next part. _"Has something to do with the beat of your heart... It's something like mine; it's the missing part..._

 _"If I'm lost, why do I feel found? Pull me under, let me drown. 'Cause who needs air when you're mine, you're safe and sound?"_

My voice cracked. _"Haunted and completely bound to my nightmare. You're a monster, but I want you... What does that say about me? You're a monster, but I want you... What does that say about me?"_

 **(Courtney's POV)**

I bit my lip and stared at the ground in thought as I listened to Mom. _"What does that say about me...? What does that say...?"_

Mom broke off into tears. _She didn't WANT to fall in love with Dad, did she?_ I realized. _She wasn't willing, and yet she did anyway. She didn't want any of this to happen._

Shakily, I stood back up and, somehow, not only managed to walk downstairs and over to the sink, but to do it without Mom even noticing. All that Anti-O.W.C.A. training must have really paid off, even though I was fairly wobbly on my feet from having given birth to twins hours before.

I quickly got a cup of water and crept back upstairs. Altogether, it had taken me about twenty minutes. That's why I was surprised to see that Michael hadn't drifted back off to sleep. "Is everything okay?" he asked anxiously when I crawled back in the tent.

"Yeah." I nodded and laid back down, and Michael began gently pushing Allie and Triston closer to me again. "But I need to talk to you tomorrow."

Michael nodded in understanding as I tiredly rested my head on my paws. He gently nuzzled my cheek, resting us in the position where are faces connected. I felt my mate's tail touch mine, but it didn't pull me closer. Instead, with his tail touching me and his beak touching my nose, we formed a perfect, secure hole for our new children.

 **(...)**

The next morning, I had actually momentarily forgotten that I had given birth, so I was happily surprised when I woke up to the twins squeaking and nuzzling into my fur, looking for their breakfast.

Michael chuckled when he saw I had opened my eyes. "They've actually been awake for several minutes now, but I let you sleep for a bit. You need your rest."

I smiled at my mate. "Thanks." Gently, I reached down to Alicia and Triston with my nose and nuzzled them over to the source of their milk. I smiled and rested my head back on my paws as I felt them latch on and begin suckling.

My mate grinned and sat up, gently rubbing my back. "Shall I go get our breakfast?"

Despite the fact that Michael had offered, I lifted my head up to look at him, a begging look in my eyes. "Could you?"

Michael laughed. "Of course. I'll be back soon."

 **(...)**

When we were all done eating, I sat up and gently took Triston into my arms, cradling him. Michael did the same with Allie. "You said last night you wanted to talk to me?" he asked, grinning as Alicia began to curiously nuzzle his beak, realizing it was the same as hers.

"Yeah." I nodded as Triston cuddled into my fur. "I... M-Mom was awake last night when I went downstairs."

If Michael hadn't been holding Allie, his sudden movements would have been much more violent. "Was everything okay?"

"With me... But..." I hesitated. "Michael, I think we can let her out."

"R-Really?"

I nodded. "I honestly don't think she'd ever harm either of the twins, and that's mostly what we're worried about. I know her past, but... I think we can trust her."

Michael nodded in understanding, shifting his weight as Allie began to try and climb up his arm. "I get it, sweetheart. She's your mom; if you think it's best, then go for it." He paused. "Although... Convincing Mom and Dad will be harder."

"Yeah..." I sighed. But I was interrupted by Triston, who I thought had been resting peacefully in my arms. He began letting out distressed squeaks.

"Is everything okay?!" Michael asked worriedly.

I hesitated and went over a list of everything I had already learned about my new son. "This is only how he reacts when he's separated from someone familiar for too long, but I'M holding him, so..."

As I tried to gently soothe Triston, letting him know that I was right there, I noticed Alicia begin to see her brother's reaction. She turned to him and began trying to climb out of Michael's arms to get to her brother.

"Wait a minute..." I grinned, setting Triston onto the bed. "Michael, put Alicia down."

My mate did just that, and Allie immediately padded over to Triston and cuddled up with him. My son immediately calmed down, and, despite his tiny size, I felt him relax even more when I laid down next to him.

"I get it..." Michael murmured, also lying back down. "Triston knows Alli- Alicia just as well as you. She's as comforting to him as you are."

I nodded, smiling. "It's amazing."

"Yeah, it is." Michael paused. "So do you want to see how Alicia and Triston do out of the tent and bed, or should one of us stay in here with them while the other tries to convince Mom and Dad to let Melissa out?"

"I think it's a two-person job," I chuckled. "Let's see how they do being moved."

Not wanting to separate the twins, I found a way to scoop Allie and Triston up together and held them both in my arms. "Do you need any help?" Michael asked, nervously looking from me to the infants.

I shook my head; the position was strangely comfortable. "I'm good. Thanks."

Michael smiled and kissed the side of my head. "Alright."

We got up and began to walk out of the room. However, we had made it to the doorway, when Perry and Pixie actually approached us. "Is everything okay?" Perry asked curiously.

My mate and I both nodded. "Yeah," Michael replied. "We were actually just coming to talk to you."

Pixie grinned. "Well, perfect."

We all settled back in the large bedroom. "What is it?" Perry asked, cocking his head.

I exhaled and exchanged a glance with Michael. "We want to let Mom out."

 **So the song that appeared earlier on in the chapter is called Monster, and it's by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher :D I highly recommend you listen to it, as it matches MelissaxDennis basically perfectly xD xD I didn't suggest you listen to it while reading because it's originally a duet, but I turned it into a solo**


	13. Chapter 13

**And this is the chapter where things really begin to heat up I:} I:} I:}**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Courtney's POV)**

"WHAT?!" Pixie gasped, causing me to wince a tiny bit.

Perry's reaction was calmer. "You trust her, then, Courtney?"

"Yes." I nodded firmly.

Pixie scoffed. "Well, that's-"

Perry gave her a look and silenced her before she said something she might regret. Pixie growled softly and turned back to me and Michael. "Courtney, how do you trust her? Especially with Alicia and Triston in the house now..."

"I... I trust her, Pixie. Okay?"

"Courtney, since Melissa is your mother, if you trust her enough for her to be free in the house, then so do we," Perry said, shooting Pixie a firm glare when she opened her mouth to protest. Pixie huffed and rested her head on her paws.

"Thank you," I replied gratefully, smiling. "Michael, can you stay here and watch the twins? I should probably be there for this."

 **(Michael's POV)**

"Of course." I grinned, somehow managing to take both of the infants from my mate.

Triston, who had fallen asleep, sensed the transition and yawned, while Allie looked up at me with wide eyes. She almost seemed to be saying, _"Why did Mommy stop holding us?"_

I chuckled as the others left the room. "Your mommy has to do something."

Allie let out a sound which almost seemed to be like a sigh. I laughed. "Well, don't get TOO excited you're with me."

My daughter almost seemed to ignore me and curled up against her sleeping brother, instead. I grinned, getting up and gently setting them in our bed again. "Alright."

It was only a few minutes later when Courtney came back upstairs...with Melissa. The brown rabbit beamed when she saw me with her grandchildren in the unzipped tent.

I smiled at Courtney. "Well, Triston's asleep, and Alicia... Well, I think she's awake."

Courtney chuckled. "Then I guess you'll meet her, Mom. Michael, can she...?"

"Of course," I replied, gently picking the little platypus up. However, I still hesitated a couple of moments before handing my new daughter over to Melissa.

I exchanged a glance with Courtney as Melissa tenderly took Allie into her arms. _"You sure about this...?"_

 _"No,"_ Courtney's return look said.

But Alicia seemed fairly comfortable in the brown rabbit's arms. She gurgled up at Melissa and giggled. Seeing this allowed me and Courtney to relax some. Babies were...able to sense things, and knowing Allie seemed to trust Melissa...for some reason...made me feel more comfortable about it.

"She's adorable..." Melissa murmured after a couple of minutes. Reluctantly, she handed Alicia over to Courtney. "So where will I sleep?"

Courtney hesitated, cradling Allie; obviously, she hadn't completely thought this through. "Well... It's still morning, right? I don't think we really have to worry about that yet."

I shot to my feet, remembering something. "Wait... What time is it?!"

"About ten-thirty," my mate replied, gently shifting Allie. "Why?"

"I have O.W.C.A. today," I sighed. "I forgot because I don't have to go in till after Emily, Mom, and Dad."

"I saw your parents leave as we came back upstairs," Courtney offered. "And Emily already left, didn't she?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I guess I had better get going soon, too."

Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Don't you go in the same vehicle?"

I shook my head, wondering if I should be telling her this. "Well, normally, but... Every agent gets their own O.W.C.A. vehicles. I have my own, I just barely ever use them."

"Ah..."

Being careful of Alicia in her arms, I pulled my mate close and kissed her forehead. "Will you be alright?" Lydia's family was even gone again... Once I left, it would just be Courtney, the twins, and Melissa.

Courtney nodded. "Everything will be okay here," she promised, smiling.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can." I smiled back and lightly kissed my daughter's forehead before reluctantly leaving the room.

 **(...)**

I sat in my cubicle, resting my head on my paw as I filled out paperwork. Comparing this to being at home with my new family... I much preferred the latter.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice. "Michael!" My head shot up to see Leo the lizard rushing into my cubicle.

"Leo? What is it?"

The lizard sighed. "Well, you know that small group I'm in?"

I nodded slowly, wondering why he was bringing it up now. Leo wasn't an O.W.C.A. agent- like Daisy and Courtney, he wasn't allowed to be one- but he was in a small spy group consisting of him and O.W.C.A. agents. Specifically, the group consisted of Kiki the fox, Richard the raccoon, and Leo. It wasn't strictly just for O.W.C.A, which is why Leo could join. They were a small infiltration team.

Leo bit his lip. "Well, we just got back from spying on L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N..."

"And?"

"Michael, we're adults now, and so's everyone we trained with, who're still part of the Anti-O.W.C.A. The Anti-O.W.C.A's grown up."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your point is...?"

"When we heard them talking earlier..." Leo inhaled deeply. "They're beginning a new generation of the Anti-O.W.C.A."

"What?!" I shot up from my seat.

Leo nodded slowly. "L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. is beginning to strategically pair certain trainees up with others...so that their children will be even stronger."

I scowled. "They're forcing the Anti-O.W.C.A. members to get together and have kids?"

"Yeah."

"L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. just keeps getting worse," I sighed, flopping back onto my seat.

Leo hesitated. "But... Michael... That's not all... Courtney just gave birth, didn't she?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah."

My friend gave a small flash of a smile back. "Congratulations." His smile faded. "There aren't enough Anti-O.W.C.A. members for L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. to get the amount of new generation trainees they want. Although they won't be as much this time... They're stealing infants again."

Immediately, I realized Leo's thoughts. "Oh, no..." _The twins!_

Even faster this time, I got out of my chair again. "Get back to your team. I need to talk to Major Monogram."

Fairly soon, I reached his office and knocked on the door. My relief was great when I almost immediately heard, "Come in."

I burst through the door. "Sir, I need to go."

The Major raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"Back home." Quickly, I explained the whole situation.

"Ah..."

"Please, sir. I need to go protect my family."

Major Monogram sighed. "Although I don't like the idea of sparing an agent till the threat dies down again... I understand. Agent Michael, you can go."

"Thank you so much!" I saluted before racing out of the office and outside to where my vehicle was parked. I had to keep my family safe.


	14. Chapter 14

**Woo-hoo! I'm updating again! I:} This is quite the chapter xD I can't believe I actually got to it; this is a chapter I've had in mind since I started Rotten to the Core xD xD xD xD**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

When I got home, I was surprised to see Melissa sitting in her cage again. "Courtney trusts me enough that I don't need to be in here all the time, but she said she still can't trust me to be out of the cage twenty-four/seven," she explained, spotting me.

"Oh." I hesitated. "Is everyone okay?"

Melissa nodded. "Pretty sure, yeah."

 _Oh, thank goodness!_ I began to walk upstairs.

Courtney was still sitting in the room with the twins. Her eyes widened when she saw me. "Michael? You're back already?"

I ignored the question. "Has anything bad happened?"

My mate shook her head slowly. "No... I told you we'd be fine... Why?"

Unsure whether to be relieved or not, I told her what Leo told me. Courtney gasped, her paws flying to her mouth. "N-N-No..." Her voice cracked. "T-They c-can't..."

I stared at the ground. "Courtney, it's the truth."

"But why now?!" She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged herself. "Why is everything happening NOW?!"

I knew exactly what she was talking about. Almost as soon as she became pregnant with the twins, Dennis came, and then... Things just kept building to this point.

Gently, I wrapped my arms around her. "Maybe we had them at a bad time. But... We couldn't have known that all of this would start happening. We have the twins now, and they are wonderful."

I backed away and looked Courtney in the eye. "I'm here to help keep you and Alicia AND Triston safe. Okay?"

Courtney sniffled. "O-Okay." She paused, biting her lip. "This house is almost certainly going to be one of the first places they'll come. We should have a defense plan, in case they attack."

"You need to stay with Triston and Alicia..." I mused, beginning to think. "So they could stay in the tent, and you could stay out here to protect them. Will you be able to fight if you have to?"

My mate nodded. "I think I've got most of my strength back. I won't be at my full potential, but I'm not helpless."

"Great." I smiled, but it only lasted a second. "I'll be down by the front door; they'll have to get through me before they can do anything to you or our children."

Courtney leaned against me. "But... If they do get us... We need someone who'll be able to get Alicia and Triston to a hiding spot and keep them safe."

I sighed. "Well... I doubt that Major Monogram will be willing to spare another agent for today- especially if it's Mom or Dad. And I won't leave to go get help, in case they attack while I'm gone."

"So, then... Who?" Courtney and I both thought for a moment... Then it hit both of us.

We met each other's eyes, and I immediately shook my head. "Courtney, no. I'm NOT about to trust her with the twins' lives."

"Michael, she's our only option," Courtney insisted. "I don't prefer it, but... We'll have to trust Mom enough for this."

I unwillingly bit the inside of my beak. She was right. Melissa was our only option. "Fine," I reluctantly sighed.

Courtney hugged me, and I smiled. "So the twins are okay?"

My mate nodded and gestured to the tent with her head. "You should go see them."

I nodded as well, broke apart from her, and peeked my head into the tent. Almost immediately, I grinned. Allie and Triston were curled up next to each other, neither seeming cold. They were sharing body heat.

Triston was asleep, and, at first, I had assumed that Allie was, too. But then her eyes fluttered open, and she spotted me. "Da...Daddy!" she squeaked.

I gasped and turned to Courtney, who was next to me, beaming. "She started talking about an hour after you left," my mate explained. "So far, she's managed to say, 'Mommy', a few small words, and now, 'Daddy'."

Courtney chuckled. "She can almost say her brother's name, but it's more complicated than the others."

As if on cue, Alicia respectively looked around at her family. "Mommy, Daddy." Her attention focused on her twin brother, who was still lying, asleep. "Twissah."

I chuckled. "Yeah, sweetheart." I turned back to Courtney. "I can't believe she's already talking...!"

"Well, can't most platypi talk when they hatch? It actually makes sense that her speaking was only delayed a bit because she was born directly," Courtney pointed out.

"I guess," I agreed. I smiled and lightly kissed her lips. "I guess I'll be downstairs. Do you want me to send Melissa up?"

"Sure," Courtney sighed. "Be careful."

"I will," I reassured, beginning to walk out of the room. "You, too."

 **(...)**

I had informed Melissa of the situation and sent her upstairs. It had been about two hours since, nothing had happened, and I was sitting by the window on high alert.

... And THAT was when I heard a loud crash. I shot up from my seat on the couch as a huge Grizzly bear broke through the front door, wood splintering everywhere.

 _No way... Is that...?_ "Bruce?" I gasped.

The bear sneered at me. "Michael... It's been a long time. Just checking to see if there are any new kids in the house."

I got into a fighting stance. "I'm not letting you get to them."

"Aw..." Bruce chuckled. "The wittle platypus thinks he can take on the big bear?" His gaze darkened. "Come at me, then."

Sure enough, I did attack, deciding it would be best not to let him- the fully-grown, male Grizzly bear- attack first. I was able to hold my own against him for a surprisingly long amount of time.

However... Then I got distracted. I spotted a scientist wearing an all black outfit with black hair come through the doorway: Dr. Franklin.

Bruce took this to his advantage and hit me hard, sending me backwards into a coffee table. I hit my head hard, and everything went black.

 **(Melissa's POV)**

I tensed as soon as I heard a fight break out downstairs. Courtney exchanged a glance with me. "Go hide with the kids," she said quietly, getting up and prepping herself for a fight.

"Al... Alright." I nodded, walking over to the tent. Both of the twins were awake by now. Alicia was leading her still-blind brother around the bed, helping him get a bit more comfortable with his surroundings.

I smiled. "Alicia," I said quietly. The little platypus turned to face me and blinked. "Come here."

My granddaughter cooed before turned back to Triston and continuing to lead him, now over to me. The rabbit squeaked, sensing the change in direction, and Allie squeaked back in what almost seemed to be a soothing tone.

Despite the situation, I chuckled lightly and scooped the infants into my arms when they got close enough. "Stay with me," I instructed quietly, wincing when I heard another crash downstairs. "Okay?"

I hadn't been expecting a reply, so I readied myself to go into another room and hide, but that was when I heard footsteps pounding on the stairs. Thinking fast, I placed the twins on the floor and crawled under the one human bed in the room, then carefully grabbed Alicia and Triston and pulling them under with me.

They cuddled close up to me as I listened quietly to the banging coming from what was now upstairs. Just as it grew louder, Alicia spotted Courtney and crawled out from under the bed and over to her before I could stop her. "Mommy?"

Courtney turned down to her with huge eyes. "Get back to your-"

She was interrupted by the door crashing open, and in stepped a brown bear and a L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist. Courtney gasped and immediately whirled to them, getting in a fighting pose.

The bear scoffed. "First a platypus, and now a rabbit? This is seriously some pathetic defense."

"M-Mommy...?" Alicia squeaked nervously.

This distracted Courtney, and while her attention was momentarily directed on her daughter, the bear hit her hard, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist stepped out from behind the bear, cackling, and bent down. He grabbed the little platypus, who let out a terrified squeak, and sneered. "Good job, Bruce. I had a feeling we'd find something here."

I would have immediately gotten out to do something if I wasn't protecting Triston, who was even more helpless than his twin. However, since I was keeping him from getting found as well, all I could do was watch helplessly as Bruce and the scientist left the room.

Just like that, they were gone...

... And they had taken my granddaughter with them.


	15. Chapter 15

**So, this chapter and the next one were originally going to be one chapter, but that would have been too long. Especially with all the stuff to take in I:} xD So yet another chapter more than my original plan**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHIENAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

"Michael! Michael!" came a worried female voice. I groaned, and my eyes flickered open to see Mom's familiar amber eyes staring worriedly at me.

"Mom...?" I groaned again, holding a paw to my forehead. "What happened...?"

"That's what I was about to ask you," Mom replied. "We got home and saw the door! Or..." She paused and looked over to the house's entrance. "At least where the door was..."

"B-Bruce..." Everything came rushing back to me, and I almost shot to my feet. "Courtney! Allie! Triston! I need to get upstairs!"

"Sweetheart, relax," Mom soothed. "Emily went up there, and-"

That was when my sister came rushing down. "Michael! Michael!"

"Emily, what is it?" I asked anxiously.

"They took her!" Emily gasped.

My heart filled with dread instantly. "Who?"

"Alicia! T-They got upstairs and knocked out Courtney! Melissa couldn't stop them!"

"WHAT?!" Before Mom could stop me, I was on my feet, past my sister on the stairs, and at the doorway to the bedroom.

The first thing I spotted was my mate holding Triston tightly and sobbing. Melissa was trying to comfort her, but despite being Courtney's mother, she seemed pretty unsure of what to do.

I bit the inside of my beak before walking in the room and sitting down next to Courtney. "M-M-Michael, t-they got h-h-her!" Courtney sobbed.

"I heard." I pulled my mate into my arms, being careful of Triston, who was in hers.

"S-She c-c-can't grow u-up the w-way we d-d-did! I-It was h-h-horrible!"

"Sh..." I gently began to rock her. "She won't. We're gonna get her back."

"B-B-But...!"

I backed away, so I could look Courtney in the eye, and placed a finger on her lips. "Hey... We know L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. well, right? We'll find them."

I tilted her head forward and kissed it. "Courtney, I promise you. We will get our little girl back." My gaze darkened. "I just hope for their sake that they don't hurt her."

 **(Dennis' POV)**

I was sitting on a chair at the far end of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's new base when I saw the Anti-O.W.C.A. member Bruce the bear walk by me.

After a couple more minutes, the scientist Dr. Franklin- Franky to most who knew him- also came by...carrying a small figure. Their mission to bring back a new Anti-O.W.C.A. trainee must have been a success.

Curious about the infant he was holding, I got up and followed Franky into a nearby room where newly captured animals were held till it was decided if it was even worth taking them through the nursery phase or not.

After Franky set the figure down in the room, he turned and spotted me. "Oh! Dennis!"

I glanced behind him to the figure. It seemed to be...a platypus. My curiosity reached its peak, and I asked, "Where'd you find that platypus?"

Franky smirked. "Where Agent Perry the platypus lives. They're probably related."

"I see..."

"I'm gonna go get Rodrigo," Franky grinned, leaving the room.

Meanwhile, I stood still in my spot, staring at the platypus. After a couple of minutes, I inched closer to her and saw small tufts of white fur covering her.

A thought struck me. Wait... Hasn't Courtney given birth by now? Last time I saw her, she had only been pregnant, but... It had been weeks. Mentally, I counted the days. Yes, she would have given birth by then!

Pieces began to fall together in my mind. This platypus was tiny; probably only a couple of days old. Her white tufts meant she would have white fur- like me and Courtney. She was a platypus, but... If Courtney had become mates with Michael, then it still made sense. And Franky had found him in Perry's house...where Michael and Courtney lived, as well.

Was...this my granddaughter? All the facts added up to it... She even had the same brown eyes Michael and Perry both had. I wasn't pleased with that, but if it was another fact...

Yes, this was my granddaughter. Piecing all those facts together I...could just tell, maybe from instinct.

I inhaled deeply and looked over at the topless, clear, plastic box again. The little platypus was huddled up in the corner, a fearful look on her face. She let out a soft whimper when she realized I was looking at her.

Immediately, I felt sympathy for her. She must have been terrified; just a little infant, ripped violently from her parents and every few things that were familiar to her already in her life.

"But we're family," I told her softly. "I'm not even sure if you understand, but you don't need to be scared of me."

The little platypus let out a small squeak when I reached my paw out to her. I held it out for a couple minutes, and she began to cautiously creep forward. After staring at me, she had started getting more comfortable.

This was just more proof that we were related. Courtney looked exactly like me, so of course I'd look familiar to her daughter.

My granddaughter cautiously cooed up at me, her soft brown eyes sparkling. I smiled at her. "Hey. Don't worry, you're still with family. Welcome to the Anti-O.W.C.A, sweetie."

I gently reached my paw into the cage, and the platypus hesitated before stepping onto my paw. When I didn't hurt her, she squeaked in delight and patted my paw. I grinned.

From my research on platypi, I knew that, judging her age, she should have been speaking by then- even if she didn't hatch from an egg, which I knew she didn't. But another thing I learned was that most platypi at her young age would only speak around their parents, where they felt the most comfortable.

Gently, I stroked the top of my granddaughter's head. She let out a small giggle and began trying to climb up my arm. I chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe I'll even be your nursery guardian, since we're family. I could teach you what you'll need to learn."

When I heard the door turning, I hurriedly placed her back in the cage. Rodrigo immediately stepped in the room, followed by Franky. Rodrigo looked over at me and gave a small nod. "Dennis."

"Rodrigo."

The scientist turned to my granddaughter. "You said you got her from Agent Perry the platypus' house, Franky?"

"Yes, sir." Franky grinned.

"Do you know her name?"

"I thought I heard her called, 'Allie', sir."

 _Allie..._ I smiled over at her.

Rodrigo raised an eyebrow. "A white-furred platypus. Did Perry have another child?"

Franky shook his head. "I don't think so, but they must be related."

Rodrigo paused. "Didn't two of our traitors leave and get together? Perry's son and-" he looked over at me- "your daughter?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I've already gone through all the facts- I think Allie is their child."

"I see..." Rodrigo looked back at Allie with musing eyes. "The child of traitors."

"Sir?" Franky blinked.

"She is of traitorous blood..." Rodrigo turned away. "We cannot keep her."

Franky immediately looked confused. "So... We give her back?"

Rodrigo scoffed. "Of course not! We need to kill her."

 ***no response***


	16. Chapter 16

**Whoo-hoo! I've been having a writing spree! :D**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHIENAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Dennis' POV)**

"What?!" I gasped.

Rodrigo turned to me. "Her parents have both betrayed us. She will someday as well. I understand she is your family, but we have to...dispose of her properly."

"KILL her?!" I repeated angrily.

"I'm sorry, Dennis, but it's how things work here. You of all of us know that."

I turned away and stared at the ground. "Yeah. I do," I muttered. _But... KILL her?_

When I turned back to Rodrigo, he pulled a syringe out of his labcoat and came up to Allie. She let out a terrified squeak as he grabbed her, stuck the syringe in her skin, and pushed the liquid into her. Almost immediately, my granddaughter fell unconscious.

It was the special sleeping liquid that L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. had invented when they first began the Anti-O.W.C.A. plan. Now, only the antidote could wake Allie up.

Rodrigo placed Allie back in her container and left the room, Franky following, and leaving me standing in silence.

 **(Michael's POV)**

Dad had gotten O.W.C.A. search parties going almost as soon as he heard Alicia had been stolen. The incident had turned Mom even more against Melissa, which wasn't good.

Courtney was obviously not in the condition to leave the house, especially with Triston to watch even more carefully now. I stayed at home with her to try and comfort her, along with Mom and Melissa. Everyone else was out looking for our daughter.

At one point, we had managed to get Courtney downstairs so she could eat, but she didn't budge after that- just sat on the couch, sobbing.

Mom came downstairs, and I lightly kissed Courtney's forehead before going upstairs. Triston was resting on his bed, but even he sensed that something was wrong. He began anxiously nuzzling around just as I found him, looking for either his mother or his twin.

He let out a distressed squeak just as I lifted him into my arms and cradled him. By now, Triston had figured out who I was and how to recognize me, and I felt him relax a bit- even though I probably wasn't as good as Courtney or Allie.

I smiled softly and began to walk down the stairs, still cradling my son. When I reached my mate, she was still crying. I waited for a quieter point before quietly speaking up. "Courtney, I am so sorry about Allie, and... I'm not doing much better than you. I promise, we will get her back, but... She's not our only child."

I sat down next to her. "We still have Triston. I'm not at all saying to let him replace our little girl, but... He needs his mother, especially now that he doesn't have his twin. Don't give up on our son because we've lost our daughter."

Courtney sniffled and looked over at me, and I gently handed the baby rabbit to her. Triston, although still blind, cooed happily, realizing that he was being given to his mother. My mate began to rock him, the weak wisps of a smile coming onto her face.

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Sweetheart, we WILL get Allie back. I promise."

 **(...)**

However, Courtney only did well for the next hour; then things got bad for her again, when it was just about bedtime. She wasn't able to be moved.

This was when Melissa's motherly instincts appeared to have finally come to the surface. She began hugging her daughter- I was holding Triston again- and even began to rock her.

Melissa turned to face me and gestured up the stairs. I nodded in understanding. "I'll sleep upstairs with Triston," I said quietly.

Courtney barely seemed to hear. I kissed her forehead and carried our baby son back upstairs. I reached our bed and gently laid Triston back in it, before crawling in next to him.

I had assumed he was asleep, so I was surprised when I felt him stir and heard him squeak. I smiled and gently nuzzled his back with my beak. "Hey, buddy."

Triston squeaked again, this time slowly opening his mouth. I had assumed he was going to yawn, but... Instead, another squeak came out. This one sounded an awful lot like, "Ah?"

"Triston?"

"Ah...ee?"

And I realized what he was trying to say. "Oh... Buddy..." I smiled softly and pulled him closer with my tail. "Don't worry. Allie will be back soon."

Triston snuggled into my fur, seeming content with my answer. "Awee."

This helped me figure out just how close my new twins were. Instead of Triston's first word being, "Mommy", or, "Daddy", it was "Allie".

And we WOULD get her back from L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N.

 **(...)**

The next morning, when I woke up, got Triston, and took him downstairs, I was surprised to see Courtney up on her feet...and not crying. Her eyes were red and her fur around her eyes was matted, but she wasn't crying.

I handed Triston to Emily- no one had left on a search party yet that morning- and hugged my mate gently. "Courtney?"

Courtney sniffled. "I-I realized t-that sitting and c-crying won't help get A-Alicia back. I-I want to go f-find her."

"Oh, sweetheart..." I smiled. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Y-Yes, Michael. W-We need to find L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's new b-base. Wherever t-that is, they must have Allie t-there."

"Alright." I kissed her cheek. "If you really feel up to it... Mom, Dad? Could you come with us?"

"Of course, Michael," Dad smiled.

"I want to come, too." Everyone turned in surprise as Melissa got up.

"We'll be fine without you," Mom snapped instantly.

"Alicia is my granddaughter as well, not just yours!" Melissa snapped back. "I want to help!"

"We could use her," I pointed out. "Any extra help shouldn't be refused." I looked over at Courtney, who slowly nodded in agreement.

Mom growled at the ground as Melissa shot her a triumphant look. "Fine."

"What about me?" Emily asked hopefully. "Can I come?"

I turned to my little sister, who was still holding Triston, and bent down slightly to her eye level. "I want you to stay here. But NOT because I don't think you'll do well with us. I want you to stay here because I trust you to be able to do something even more important. Watch Triston, and keep him safe."

After what happened to Allie, it was a big deal to protect Triston. Emily understood this. "You...really want ME to do this? You think I can?"

"I know you can." I kissed her forehead.

Emily beamed. "Thanks, Michael. I'll keep him safe."

I smiled and stood straight again, grabbing Courtney's paw. "Let's go get our daughter back."


	17. Chapter 17

**Long chapter, folks xD xD But there's only two more chapters after this! :D So yay!**

 **Oh, and if you're wondering how I updated so quickly, I actually wrote this chapter a few months ago xD xD xD I just (obviously) haven't been able to post it because I needed to catch up with the rest of the story, first xD xD**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

I couldn't believe how quickly we managed to find L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's new hideout. Then again, my daughter's life might very well have been on the line- knowing that would fill anyone with enough determination.

My family and I had followed a L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist- probably a newer one, since I didn't recognize him- to the hideout. We were now hiding behind a building, watching what the scientist did to get into the hideout. He tapped his foot on the ground in a certain spot, and a trapdoor opened up in the floor- just like with the last hideout.

"It's underground again," Dad sighed. "Of course."

I turned back to the rest of my group of Dad, Mom, Courtney, and Melissa. "Alright, we need to find a stealthy way in. The entrance is just about exactly the same as the old one was."

With that, I turned to Mom. "Mom, how did you manage to get into the last hideout without anybody noticing?" Nearly eleven years before, Dad had been captured by L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N, and Mom, who quickly discovered the old hideout, not only managed to sneak in and break him out, but sneak quite a few of O.W.C.A's agents in with her.

"Luck," Mom admitted with a grin. "I don't think there is another entrance into the hideout. Last time, what we did was sneak in one at a time."

"Was there a certain spot you met up?" Melissa asked, cocking her head.

Mom shook her head. "We just agreed on a signal before we went in."

"Well, it'll have to be different this time," Melissa muttered.

"I know!" Mom snapped back.

"Girls!" Dad sighed. "Now's not the time to argue."

"Sorry," they both apologized.

"Unfortunately, none of us know what it looks like in there," I sighed, turning to Courtney. "Didn't you say that the Anti-O.W.C.A. was forced to divide into small groups between L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientists?"

Courtney nodded. "Yeah. We finished up our training with the one or two scientists somewhere else and then were supposed to be moved to the new hideout when it was finished. Daisy, Leo, and I betrayed L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. only a little bit before the hideout was completed and safe."

I sighed again. "Great. Well, I'll go in first and won't hide too far from the entrance. You guys just look for me when you're down there. Hopefully, I'll be within view of the entrance."

"Why are you going in first?" Courtney challenged.

"Because I won't do anything rash."

Courtney scowled at the spot where the hideout's trapdoor was. "They've got my daughter."

"Courtney, she's my daughter, too," I reminded, gently grabbing my mate by her shoulders.

"I know, Michael, but I just-" Courtney's voice cracked.

"We will find Allie, but I need to lead and prevent you from doing anything too rash, or weWON'T get her."

Courtney sighed and stared at the ground. "You're right."

I smiled sympathetically and kissed her forehead. "Okay, I'm going in. Courtney, you can come after me." I looked up to the rest of the group. "Dad, you might want to separate Mom and Melissa," I grinned.

Dad nodded with a smirk. "I've got it."

"Okay." I inhaled deeply and crept out from our hiding spot and over to where we had seen the scientist. Once I made it there, I tapped my foot the same way I had seen the L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. scientist tap his and grinned when the trapdoor opened again.

I inhaled again and, after peeking down into the hideout to make sure there weren't any scientists nearby, crawled down the ladder. Almost immediately, I spotted a hole just large enough to fit all of us. I quickly ran over to it and crawled into it.

A couple of minutes later, Courtney came down as well. I caught her attention and gestured next to me with my head. She nodded in understanding, and, ten seconds later, she was next to me.

This generally repeated three more times, first with Mom, then Dad, and finally Melissa. "Any ideas what to do now?" she whispered.

I hesitated. Although I hated to admit it... I hadn't planned that far yet. Luckily, though, the beginnings of a plan quickly began to form in my mind. "You three stay here," I quietly replied, talking to not only Melissa, but my parents as well. "Courtney and I will go ahead and see if we can find a clue as to where they're keeping Alicia."

Dad nodded. "Good idea."

With that, I checked to make sure no scientists were coming, then crawled out of the hole. I helped my mate get out and next to me, and we began to creep down the hall.

"Is there anyone still here that we can trust to go to for help?" Courtney hissed.

"Well..." I hesitated. "Yes, actually. Dr. Elouise Bringdown."

"The one who's an actual medical doctor?"

"Yeah. If she's still here, then I know we can trust her. She's not really evil; I think she was just forced to join because her twin brother is Dr. David Bringdown."

"You think," Courtney echoed flatly.

"I THINK that's why she's part of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. I KNOW she's not evil. Okay?"

"Fine," sighed my mate.

We continued to walk down the halls, and, obviously, Courtney was just as concerned about something as I was. "Why is it so quiet?"

I hesitated. "Maybe it's during class time," I offered finally. "It's about that time of day."

"Maybe..."

Just then, we heard footsteps. Frantically, Courtney and I looked for somewhere to hide, but we couldn't find a place. I gulped, and Courtney gripped my paw as a scientist rounded the corner- then we both relaxed immediately. She wasn't technically a scientist. Just a doctor.

Dr. Elouise Bringdown blinked and froze in her tracks. "Wait... No way..."

I gave her a small smile, while Courtney just glanced nervously back and forth between us. "Michael?" She gasped. "Courtney?"

"Hi..."

Dr. Elouise ran over to us and bent to her knees. "What on earth are you two doing here?"

"Has L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. brought in any infant animals recently?" I asked.

She hesitated. "Well... Yes, actually. But only a couple."

"What ones?" Courtney immediately inquired.

"I think one's a koala joey..."

"Oh..." My face fell as Dr. Elouise continued.

"And I think the other one was...another platypus."

"What?!" Courtney gasped and grinned. "Where?!"

Dr. Elouise glanced at the ground. "Well... That's the thing... Wait." She gasped as well. "Wait, wait, wait! Is she... Wait... Are you two... Is she...?!"

"Courtney and I are mates, and that's our daughter," I explained. "Where are they keeping her?"

The doctor hesitated. "No wonder they're going to... Wait... Oh, no..."

"What?" Courtney blinked nervously.

"You don't know, do you?" Dr. Elouise groaned. "Now I understand what Rodrigo meant..."

 _What?! What had Prof. Rodrigo said?!_ "What do you mean...?"

"He said that they wouldn't be keeping her because treacherous blood ran through her veins..."

Courtney blinked. "But Prof. Rodrigo would never give her back."

"Exactly..." Dr. Elouise hesitated again. "So he's going to kill her."

"WHAT?!" I wasn't even sure which one of us said that this time. He was going to kill Allie?!

Dr. Elouise nodded sadly. "She hasn't been killed yet, but... I think it's supposed to be today."

"Well, where is she?!" I snapped.

"I'm not sure... I'm still learning my way around here. But I do know that they're keeping her in one of the rooms that each young animal is kept in before they're decided whether they should be kept for the Anti-O.W.C.A, or if they're not worth it. But I don't know exactly where they are, or what room she is specifically being kept in."

Dr. Elouise hesitated. "But I do have something that will help." She reached into her pocket of her labcoat, pulled out a piece of paper, and gently unfolded it. "This is a map of this headquarters, since we're all still learning our way around it. Every 'scientist' here has one- I just copied mine in case of an emergency." She grinned. "Looks like I made a good call."

I grinned weakly- which was actually very impressive, considering what I just learned about my daughter. "Thank you so much, Dr. Elouise."

The doctor beamed. "Anything to help take L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. down."

"You should become a spy for O.W.C.A," I offered.

"If I could figure out how to... I'm stuck with the rest of these imbeciles consistently."

"Well, it's something to think about. Thank you again. So much." With that, Courtney and I turned around and began to creep back to the rest of our family.

"What did you find?" Melissa asked when we got back to our parents.

"Two things," I admitted. Courtney had been completely silent ever since Dr. Elouise told us what would happen to Alicia, and it hadn't changed yet. "Information and something physical."

Mom cocked her head, obviously sensing something about my tone. "What's the information?"

I sighed and stared at the ground. "They're going to...kill Allie soon."

"What?! Why?!"

"Courtney and I are both traitors to the Anti-O.W.C.A, so L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N's assuming she'll just do the same."

All three of our parents looked furious. "Where are they keeping her?!" Mom snapped.

"We're not sure," I admitted. "But we know the general room, and we got a map." I held up the paper in my paw as a reference.

"Let me see it," Melissa said, holding out her paws. "I've always been good with a map."

Courtney didn't even seem to notice; she was just staring at the ground. I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." I handed Melissa the map, and she studied it. "This place is big," she blinked. "Anyway... You said you know generally what room?"

I nodded. "Most likely one of the rooms that infants are first brought when 'taken in' by L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. They have to decide if it's even worth it to keep the child and spend the effort training him or her in the nursery. After some training and growing up in there, they're tested on what they learned. The ones that don't pass the test or even make it into the nursery are- normally- thrown out into the streets." I sighed. "This is the first time they'll be directly murdering an animal, as far as I know."

Mom grinned. "They must have decided she was too dangerous, considering her family."

"It's a good thing they labeled these rooms," Melissa grinned. "I think I found the general spot they'll be in."

"That's great!" I managed a smile at this news.

"And even if they're not there, this place is so big they won't be far from it," Melissa continued.

I relaxed at that. "Well, which way?"

"Follow me." Still holding the map, Melissa stood up and began walking down one hall. Mom and Dad followed her, and I was about to as well, when I saw Courtney standing further behind the rest of us.

"Courtney?"

My mate was glaring at the ground, tears in her eyes. "They are going to pay for this," she snarled. "Not only for kidnapping my daughter from me and hiding her for days, but doing it for nothing and ending up trying to kill her."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Courtney, our first priority is to get Alicia. Not revenge. Trust me, I... I want to hurt them just about as badly as you do, but..."

Courtney wiped her eyes and looked up at me. "I... I-I get it."

"Thank you, sweetheart," I smiled. "We need to be better than they are."

"Y-Yeah." Courtney weakly nodded in agreement. "I-I g-guess."

With that, we ran after our parents to find our little girl.

 **(...)**

We checked in all the rooms that infant animals are first brought...and found nothing. Except for the koala joey that Dr. Elouise had mentioned. All of us wanted to save him, but it would have been too risky to try and save both him and Allie.

However, then we came across a large room with an elevated platform at one end of it. At that end of the room were also two doorways, one on either side of the room.

When we stepped into the room, though, the door immediately locked behind us. "This wasn't a trap, right?" Mom asked, working with Melissa to try in vain to push the door open again.

"It couldn't have been," I replied.

"At least, not specifically for us," Dad continued.

"What do you mean, Perry?" Mom asked, turning back to face Dad, Courtney, and me.

"Pixie, L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. needs defenses, right?"

Mom blinked. "Oh..."

"Yeah." Dad sighed. "The doors in this room are designed to automatically lock- which means you can only get out with a key."

"Well, we need to get out!" snapped Courtney. "We can't sit trapped in here! Not with Allie's life on the line!"

Melissa growled as she tried to open the door. "It won't budge! And it's completely metal, so we can't break it."

"Is there a vent somewhere?" I asked, beginning to look over the room. Courtney caught my eye and pointed up to the middle of the ceiling- the one vent in the room, and it was too high to reach and impossible to reach by climbing up something.

"Of course," I muttered.

Mom glanced over at Dad. "Do you have your blowtorch?"

Dad shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But..." He glanced around the completely metal coated room. "I think this is the same kind of metal that they used to make those cages that are nearly impossible to escape from."

"Great..." Mom sighed.

Just then, one of the doors on the other end of the room opened. Melissa, Mom, Dad, Courtney, and I all whirled around to see Prof. Rodrigo enter the room, holding a little white and pink bundle in his arms. "That's Allie!"

Prof. Rodrigo whirled over to us. "You're kidding me," he sighed. "And I thought we were doing so well keeping pests out."

He pulled out a remote and hit a button on it. Suddenly, a large, glass wall reaching from one wall to the other, as long as the room's width, fell in front of us. "This is the same way Doof tried to trap me once years ago," Dad murmured, putting his paws against the thin glass.

Courtney let out a shout and began to hit the glass to get to Alicia, but we all knew it was in vain. "Courtney," I said gently, "you're just going to hurt yourself."

"But Allie's right there!" she sobbed.

I walked over to my mate and wrapped my arms around her. "I know, but that's obviously not the way to get out of here."

Prof. Rodrigo smirked. "I'm glad you five came here, actually. This is practically the whole family, isn't it? Only a few are missing." He set Allie, who was sleeping quite deeply, down on the platform and turned to the door across from him. "That's why I brought one more family member."

As if on cue, a white rabbit that looked almost exactly like Courtney stepped into the room. "Dennis...!" Melissa gasped.

I turned around to see her slowly sit down on the ground, all fire seemingly and suddenly sucked from her veins. "Dennis, why?" she murmured quietly.

Dennis didn't hear her, but he did look over at us. I wasn't quite sure what was in his gaze- surprise, triumph, or sadness.

"Now you all can watch this little platypus die," Prof. Rodrigo sneered. "The one of traitorous blood."

"NO!" Courtney shrieked, breaking from my gentle grip and attacking the glass wall again. Melissa also got up and helped her, but she wasn't as passionate as she would have been only five minutes beforehand. Seeing Dennis this way must have quickly and badly affected Melissa.

Prof. Rodrigo just cackled and pulled out a knife.

 **(Dennis' POV)**

"A knife?!" I hissed to Rodrigo. "Really?!"

Rodrigo hesitated. "She's a small thing," he said, gesturing to my granddaughter. "This is the easiest way."

"It's too slow!" I snapped. "I said, 'If you're going to kill her, at least make it quick'! She's just a baby!"

"The only quick death machines we have are built for adults and people that aren't children. Dennis, this is the fastest way possible."

I just glared down to the ground, and Rodrigo said, "Trust me. I really look up to you, so I wouldn't disobey with this."

"She's my granddaughter," I said coldly, still staring at the floor.

"I know. And that's one of the reasons I look up to you so much." Rodrigo grinned. "You're a true villain. The fact that she's such close family, and you're still going to let her die... That's truly inspiring."

 _Seriously?_ I growled under my breath, just low enough for Rodrigo to miss it. Then I picked my head back up and looked over to Courtney, Melissa, and the others.

Courtney was obviously distraught and was trying to escape from behind the glass. Melissa was helping, but she kept glancing over at me, pain and disappointment in her eyes. I didn't care about Perry and his mate and son- all I focused on were Melie and our daughter.

It killed me to see them that way. I loved both of them, and seeing them in so much pain was nearly impossible for me. I looked over at Rodrigo and my granddaughter- what was her name? Allie?

Rodrigo looked uncertainly over at me as he gripped the knife in his hand. Allie was still asleep on the platform, thanks to that sleeping drug L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. had injected into her.

As I looked back and forth from Courtney to Allie, I remembered with a start how painful it had been for me to have to live without my own daughter. That had only been for four years, even. I had only had to deal with four years of not seeing Courtney before we reunited. Courtney- even Michael- would have to handle the entire rest of their lives never seeing _their_ daughter again. That is...as long as I let Rodrigo kill Allie. Which... I couldn't. I just couldn't let him.

 **(Michael's POV)**

I snarled as Prof. Rodrigo pulled out a knife and blinked in surprise as Dennis angrily said some things to him; I couldn't quite tell what was being said, though. They were a little too quiet with the glass wall right in the middle of the room to hear.

After a few more minutes, Dennis bit his lip and glanced at the ground.

 **(Dennis' POV)**

 _He can't kill Allie. You have to stop him._ I didn't even care as it occurred to me that there was only one way to save her.

 **(Michael's POV)**

Courtney let out another scream as Prof. Rodrigo turned back to Alicia and held the knife a foot or so above her, obviously about to plunge it into her heart.

The next minute seemed to go in slow motion. Dennis raced forward and pushed Allie out of the way of Prof. Rodrigo's blade. Instead, before Prof. Rodrigo could even react, the blade made its way into Dennis instead- positioned perfectly to reach his own heart.

Melissa let out her own scream at that and, with the force of her and my mate combined, they somehow managed to break a hole in the wall just large enough for us to escape through. That thoroughly shocked my parents and I, but we didn't stand and gawk over the rabbits' obvious unknown strength.

Dad and I exchanged a quick glance, and, while Prof. Rodrigo was standing in shock over just plunging a knife into the heart of who was obviously his idol, Dad and I raced through the hole and over to the platform. He caught Prof. Rodrigo and hand-cuffed him while I grabbed my still-sleeping daughter from the platform and cradled her in my arms.

Courtney and Melissa, meanwhile, ran over to Dennis, who was now lying on the floor- still alive, but barely. I was one of the few who knew, but Courtney did really care for both of her parents, even though she hid it well. This was Dennis, her father, who was now suddenly on his deathbed. Just like that…..

 **First off… ELOUISE! :DD And she'll be appearing more in the next story :D**

 **Next….. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this death wasn't so sad for you. I just advertised it as a surprisingly sad death for months because it's probably one of the few deaths in my stories that I really focus a lot on throughout the rest of the series. (the other death being Fiona's in my One Name series). But if it wasn't sad now, and more of a good riddance, I'm hoping to make it seem a little bit sadder in the next story.**

 **Also….. It went really fast, didn't it? xD xD xD the final scene, I mean. Technically, though…. He won't really die till the next chapter xD**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter was shorter than I thought it would be xD**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

I watched silently as I held Alicia close to myself. Courtney sat down on her knees by Dennis as Melissa, crying, laid her head on his chest. "D-Dad..."

Dennis managed to grin. "Did you really...think I would let my...granddaughter...die...?"

Melissa shook her head through tears. "Y-You're not that much of a monster."

"D-Dad..." Courtney said again. She sniffled. "T-thank you..."

"I told you... I...love you..." Dennis' eyes flicked over to Melissa. "Both of...you. I'm...sorry I never...showed it in...a good way..."

Courtney burst into tears. Dennis managed another weak smile. "Now...take your...daughter."

I gently nudged Courtney, helped her stand up, and put Alicia into her arms. "M-Michael..." Dennis croaked.

"Yes?" I turned to look at him.

"Take care...of my daughter..." Dennis cracked another small smile. "Kid..."

I chuckled weakly. "Of course I will."

Dad had gone further back into the room with Mom after he had hand-cuffed Prof. Rodrigo, but, now, Dennis- barely- managed to turn his head over to them. "Perry..."

"Me?" Dad blinked. None of us had been expecting Dennis to call for Perry in his last moments.

"Yes!" I heard Mom hiss, shoving him forward a bit. I chuckled as Dad walked over to Dennis.

"What is it?" Dad asked gently. He bent down next to Dennis, who whispered something into his ear slit. Dad backed away after a minute. "Thank you."

Dennis gave one more weak smile before he closed his eyes- blinking must have even been more difficult when in his position. However, they never opened again. His final breath left him, and, just like that, he was gone.

"H-H-He r-really i-is g-g-g-gone...!" Melissa squeezed her eyes shut and began to cry, resting her head on Dennis' chest.

Meanwhile, Dad had quietly gotten up and walked to a different part of the room. Mom walked over to him; I hesitated before leaving Courtney and Melissa and following.

"What did he say?" Mom asked gently.

Dad inhaled. "Well, we know L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. created some kind of sleeping drug, which they injected into Alicia. He...told me where to find the antidote."

I exhaled in relief. "That's great!"

Mom smiled and turned to me. "You stay here with your family. Perry and I will go get the antidote."

"Good idea," I nodded.

My parents gave me one more smile before my dad went over to Rodrigo. Before the scientist could react, Dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of keys. Dad unlocked the door and he and Mom raced out of the room.

Meanwhile, I turned back to where Melissa, Courtney, and Alicia were. Courtney was now standing quietly, still cradling our little girl, and Melissa was still bent over Dennis' body, crying.

I went over to my mate and placed an arm around her shoulders. Courtney turned to me and buried her head in my fur, and I heard her begin to cry again. "I-I t-t-thought there w-was a c-c-c-chance for him, M-M-Michael...!" she managed to choke out eventually.

"Sh..." I began to rock her. "There was, and he took it. He did change, just like you hoped. He just...didn't personally benefit from it."

Courtney sniffled. "I-I guess y-you're r-r-right. H-How's Rodrigo? D-D-Dad was basically h-his idol, r-right?"

"About as good as can be expected," I replied. "That's what he gets for trying to harm our daughter." I reached down and lightly stroked Allie's stomach. I could tell she sensed this because she smiled and rolled over, lightly kicking her little legs in the process.

Courtney barely managed a weak chuckle. "Y-You're right."

We were silent until we heard a soft sound. Both of us turned around to where Melissa was. She was gently stroking Dennis' cheek.

 _"Y-You're a monster, but I-I want you. W-What does that say about m-me? You're a m-monster, but I w-want you. What d-does that say about me? W-What does that say about m-me...?"_

Her voice broke, and she burst into tears again, burying her head in Dennis' fur- even though lots of it was stained with blood by now.

That was when Mom and Dad came back, and Dad was carrying a syringe filled with some liquid. Dad headed over to Courtney, Allie, and I. "May I?"

Courtney nodded and handed our little girl to Dad. Dad cradled her and gently placed the syringe in her arm, slowly pushing the liquid into her bloodstream.

My mate and I waited hopefully and anxiously, both brightening when Alicia began to squirm. After about a minute of slowly moving, she let out a small, tired squeak. Courtney and I exchanged an excited glance as Allie moved even more.

Eventually, her eyes flickered open. She spotted me and Courtney and cooed, "Mommy? Daddy?"

"Oh, sweetheart!" Courtney took Alicia back into her arms and held her tightly. "I'm here, and so's Daddy. We'll never lose you again."

"Mommy!" Allie squealed.

I chuckled and stroked her forehead with my thumb. "Come on- let's get you home."

 **Hold up, folks! There's still one more chapter xD You should know that I have a thing for adding epilogues by now xD**


	19. Epilogue

**Well, guys, I'm actually on the final chapter…. The epilogue….. It kinda makes me sad :( Especially since it occurred to me earlier that it's been a little over a year since I first posted Three Platypi and an Evil Organization….**

 **But no worries! There's still two more stories, not the mention the one-shots and my When Universes Collide series with VibeQuake ;) There's still lots of these characters to see**

 **I DO NOT OWN PHINEAS AND FERB. ANY CHARACTER YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE IS PROBABLY MINE**

 **(Michael's POV)**

About a week and a half later, things were pretty much back to normal. Courtney had mostly recovered from her grief, but... Melissa was just now reaching the phase where she didn't cry openly and just sat in silence, staring off into space.

Alicia was also already beginning to grow up. She was only about two weeks old, and she was already running around and could occasionally speak in practically full sentences.

Her brother, meanwhile, still hadn't opened his eyes. Triston had learned a couple of words, but his lack of eyesight prevented him from learning any more. His fur was also beginning to grow, but while Allie was almost coated with white fur by now, Triston had tufts of teal fur in various places around his body.

Courtney was lying on the living room couch, Triston cuddled up with her. She let out a sniffle, and I sympathetically turned to her. "You okay, sweetheart?"

My mate nodded slowly. "I didn't think I'd miss Dad, but..." She exhaled shakily. "I still can't believe he sacrificed himself for Allie. I don't think any of us were expecting that."

I nodded in agreement and smirked. "Mom, Dad, and I weren't expecting you and Melissa to break through glass with your bare paws, either."

Courtney blushed. "Hey, it was reasonably thin glass...!"

"I know," I chuckled, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "You never cease to amaze me, Courtney."

The white rabbit smiled back and bent down to nuzzle Triston. He cooed back, "Mama", which was one of the few words he had learned.

"He can't even see yet, and he's already learning us by touch," Courtney beamed.

"Will he be opening his eyes soon?"

Courtney paused in thought. "Probably. It's been a couple of weeks, which is the normal length."

I grinned and nuzzled my little boy. "Great!"

Triston recognized this touch by now as well and cooed, "Dada."

I beamed. "Hey, buddy. I'm here."

The little rabbit slowly crawled away from Courtney and crept to me. "Dada."

Gently, I lifted him up into my paws. Pretty soon, he was getting restless, and I set him back by his mom.

After a few minutes, Courtney let out a soft gasp. "M-Michael... I-I think his eyes are flickering...!"

"What?" I leapt off the couch, so I could see him as well. Sure enough, Triston was finally beginning to open his eyes.

I got up and turned the light off so it wouldn't be as hard for him. About another minute later, Courtney was beaming down at our little boy, whose eyelids were finally up, revealing sparkling blue eyes.

Triston slowly looked back and forth between me and Courtney. "Mama, Dada." He glanced around confusedly. "Allie?"

I grinned over at Courtney. "I'll go get her."

Courtney returned the grin, and I left the room, in search of our daughter.

I found her on top of Emily, giggling. My little sister was lying on the floor on her stomach, and Alicia was standing on four feet on top of her. She padded around on Emily's back, unable to stop laughing.

At the scene I myself laughed. I walked over to them, and Allie stopped, jumping and squealing "Daddy!" instead.

"Hey, sweetheart!" I bent down and picked her off Emily, who let out a relieved breath.

I grinned down at my sister. "Any story behind what I just saw?"

"I was lying on the floor being lazy, and Allie found me. Apparently, I'm her jungle gym now."

Allie giggled. "Emmy silly."

I chuckled and shifted her in my arms. "Do you want to go see Triston?"

Alicia squealed and patted my arm. "Tiston! Tiston! Tiston!"

"Alright, let's go." I carried her into the living room.

As soon as Allie spotted Triston, she squealed more. "Tiston!"

"Allie!"

I set the little platypus on the couch, and she hopped over to her twin. "Tiston see!" She giggled and batted his ear.

"Allie!" Triston squeaked again, this time obviously complaining.

His sister giggled some more and ducked into Courtney's fur. I laughed and kissed the top of Courtney's head.

As the twins played, I heard footsteps and looked to the stairs. Mom and Dad were coming down, and, although I could tell Mom was telling him something, I couldn't make out what it was.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, I saw Dad blink, and a grin came onto his face. Mom nodded back, also grinning. Less than a minute later, they were heading over to us.

"Mom, Dad, guess what?" I beamed. "Triston just opened his eyes!"

Mom and Dad exchanged a glance. "Really?!"

I nodded and smiled down at Courtney. "He's got beautiful blue eyes, just like his mother."

Mom grinned. "Well, we've got some good news to tell you, too. Where's Emily?"

Feeling curious, I pointed into the dining room, where I had found her with Allie.

Sure enough, they came back with her a few minutes later. To save space on the couch, Courtney sat up, expertly picking the twins up as well and holding them both on her lap. I sat down with her, and Emily sat next to me.

"Where's Mom?" Courtney asked, cocking her head.

Mom and Dad exchanged another glance. "Upstairs. We...didn't want to bother her."

"Oh..." Courtney bit her lip and nodded slowly. "I understand."

"So what is it?" Emily asked curiously.

"Obviously something pretty important if you gathered us," I continued.

Mom beamed. "Well... As I was just telling your father... You two are going to have a little sibling."

"What?!" Emily and I gasped, staring over at each other and grinning.

Mom laughed. "Yeah, I'm pregnant."

Courtney smiled, and I took Triston from her as she spoke, cuddling Allie. "I guess the twins won't be the only infants in the house much longer."

I beamed and held Triston tightly, looking around at everyone. I had my parents, my little sister, my mate, our wonderful children, and, now I was going to have another little sibling. I had my whole family with me, and they were safe.

And in the end, that's what matters.

 **Are my story endings getting cheesier? Or is it just me? I've been having a problem with conclusions lately, so….. (My point exactly xD xD xD)**

 **Anyway, you can expect the next story tonight, too! :D I'm going to post that soon after this is posted. Anyone ready for a jump of a few years time? Hope so I:}**


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